Written on Their Arms
by SewingSlytherin
Summary: Soulmate AU When you draw or write on your skin it appears on your soulmate's too. Hermione doesn't know that she has a soulmate. She always had ink on her, so no one thought to mention it to her. But when she finally can talk to the other person, she finds out that they are soulmates. Viktor Krum and Hermione Granger. Cassius Warrington as the Hogwarts champion.
1. Chapter 1

When you draw or write on your skin it appears on your soulmate's too.

Hermione liked to know exactly what she needed to do, and when. And she found that writing the most immediate task on the back of her hand helped her to remember what she was supposed to be doing once she got to the library.

What was a little distracting, however, was the letters that showed up on her arms at random. Sometimes they seemed to be in response to her homework. But the little notes and drawings, usually technical in nature, were fascinating. Even if she didn't understand them at all.

She discovered with a little research that the letters were Bulgarian. And so, she, at the age of eleven, started learning Bulgarian. Along with everything else.

Years later, at the quidditch world cup, she found that Ireland was playing Bulgaria. It was the wizarding event in the UK that year. She was excited to be going, but found herself on the floor of her room, scribbling on her arm.

 _Are you going to be going to the world cup?_ She wrote.

 _Yes,_ came a response just a few moments later. There was a pause and then the words continued. _You don't normally write in Bulgarian._

 _Usually when I write on my arm it's just for me. But I wanted to know who you were. I don't even know why your writing keeps showing up on my arm._

 _My mother says that when someone has a soulmate, you're connected in a way that's hard to explain. And this seems to be one of those connections._

Hermione paused before wiping off the ink on her arm so she would have more space. A soulmate. She hadn't expected anything like that.

 _So, what does this mean? That we're destined to meet and fall in love?_

 _No. Soulmates don't always meet. And you always have a choice in who you love. But I like to think that if you're lucky enough to have one, you would at least get to know them._

 _Fair enough. So, I guess you're going to be rooting for Bulgaria to win._

 _I have to._

 _My friends are all going to be rooting for Ireland. After all, we live in England._

 _That makes sense. If I see a girl in Irish colours with Bulgarian words down her arms, I will come over and say hello._

 _How do you know I'm a girl?_

 _Soulmates always wind up being two people who could love each other. Since I have no attraction to men, you must be a girl. Not to mention that you wrote something about_ how **stupid boys are** _, some time ago._

 _That makes sense. I hope I do see you there._

 _I think you will. You just might not know it's me._

She put the pen down and smiled. She still had a few things left to pack before the Weasley's picked her up since she was going to be going to the train station with them after the match. She'd meant to pack before, but had gotten sidetracked.

Why she had even wanted to talk to the person who was the reason for the words on her arm wasn't something she wanted to admit. But she guessed she had always wanted to. But her Bulgarian wasn't particularly good.

And she did want to meet him. She wasn't sure he looked like, other than the fact that unless he washed his arm off, it would be covered in writing. And as long as she didn't wash the words she'd written off her arm, no amount of scrubbing would make his come off. She'd learnt that the hard way.

She threw the last few things in her trunk. Satisfied that everything was in order, she bounced downstairs to wait for the Weasleys to arrive. She couldn't wait.

* * *

A/N: So this is going to be the first rather long Viktor/Hermione story. I'm excited. But I need to find a copy of Goblet of Fire to make sure that I don't have character inconsistencies. My copy is with my mother in Missouri. And I'm in Utah. Ahh.


	2. Chapter 2

The world cup was one of the most magical things Hermione had ever seen. Even if she was a witch. There were people from all over the planet. She really wanted to talk with the witches from Salem. But she was stuck with Harry and Ron, and she knew that they needed her.

Mr. Weasley wasn't exactly the most competent person when it came to all things muggle. He loved them, and was fascinated by them, but he had a lot to learn about using them.

Hermione had managed to write a few new notes on her arm in Bulgarian without drawing too much suspicion from anyone. She wanted to have enough on her arm that if He was around it would be obvious who she was.

And at the same time, she really didn't want to scream to the world "I have a soulmate!" That would be way too chaotic. And would probably get attention from the wrong people.

The more she thought about it, she was glad that her soulmate was someone she hadn't met yet. She was even more glad that it wasn't Ron or Harry. They were her best friends, but it would have been like being soulmates with your brother.

Up in the box watching the game, Hermione marveled at the spectacle. She doodled on the back of her hand, half hoping that the strange but alluring Bulgarian would write back to her. But then the seekers dive, and she finds herself clinging to the railing, fraught with worry.

She knew, logically, that she shouldn't be as nervous as she was. They played quiditch for their jobs. They knew what they were doing. And if someone did get hurt, there was a med-witch on duty.

But she couldn't let go of the railing. And she couldn't slow her racing heart. She felt like she couldn't breathe, as if she was flying and all the wind had been sucked out of her lungs.

"Did you see that?" Ron asked her.

She nodded, seeing the Irish seeker on the ground, in what looked like a painful heap. She felt sorry for the guy, but did think that he needed to pay more attention to his surroundings instead of just his opponent.

She had to admit that Viktor Krum was the better seeker. And for some reason that made the feeling of a band around her chest relax.

"I have to learn how to do that," Harry said.

Hermione shook her head, keeping her mouth shut. She really didn't need to get in the middle of the boys and their sports. It would be a fruitless attempt.

She watched the game on her omnoculars, going as slow as she liked so that she could actually see what was going on. And then something caught her eye. It was a little flicker of Viktor's arm, barely a glimmer, but she thought she knew what it was.

She paused the video. Zooming in, she saw her handwriting on his arm. Viktor Krum was her soulmate.

Pulling out the pen from her pocket, she wrote on her arm in Bulgarian.

 _I see you. At least, I think it was you. You're Viktor Krum, right?_

A chorus of cheers erupted from the Irish side. Hermione looked up to see that Viktor had caught the snitch. A wave of happiness and relief filled her, and his sleeves slid down his arm as he raised his hands in the air.

"Hey look, Mione. Krum writes on his arm," Ron told her. "What do you think those are?"

"Probably quiditch notes," Hermione said. She really didn't want to tell anyone that Viktor had a soulmate. Not that most people even knew that sharing writing was a thing since soulmates weren't exactly the most common thing in the world.

Ron nodded his head. It seemed like the most sensible answer. He was looking over at Fred and George who were looking very pleased with themselves for guessing the outcome of the game.

Hermione sat back down in her chair, glad to have some sort of clue as to what life might hold. But she really didn't know about how she felt about her soulmate being an international quiditch star. She didn't even really like quiditch that much.

She was about to follow the rest of them down the stairs and back to their tents. She was tired and ready to sleep, especially with the early morning she had had.

She headed towards the rickety stairs, desperately trying to focus on just the few inches in front of her instead of the distance between her and the ground. She really hated heights. They terrified her. But instead of going down the stairs like she had planned, she walked into a very muscular person.

"Excuse me," she said sheepishly. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and forced herself to look up at the person she had run into. And her jaw dropped as she realized who it was.

Viktor Krum, seeker for the Bulgarian national quiditch team was standing in front of her, blood on his face and his nose broken. She instinctively pulled out her wand.

"May I?"

He nodded. Apparently he didn't like speaking to strange witches.

"Episky."

And his nose was healed. He looked much better, even if there wasn't too much that could be done about the blood on his face. He hadn't taken care of it during the game, and it had dried so he couldn't just wipe it off. And cleaning spells didn't work as well on skin.

"Fank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Hermione said. She could feel a blush spreading over her cheeks and she knew why. But even as embarrassed as she was, she had to let him know who she was.

She pulled up the sleeve of her left arm showing their conversation. "I'm Hermione Granger."

Viktor took her hand and kissed it. "It vas very nice to be meeting you Miss Granger."

She blushed harder and headed down the stairs, stealing one last glance at the quiditch player who seemed to be stealing her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

She had been snug in her bed and sleeping like a rock when Mr Weasley woke them up. It seemed that the Death Eaters had gathered together and were determined to cause panic. It was working.

She hurried along with Harry and Ron, before they got separated from the rest of the Weasleys. She was starting to panic, and Draco Malfoy didn't seem to make that fear go away when they bumped into him. With his taunts and teases, her anxiety kicked in and her brain went into overdrive.

She didn't realize that she had drifted away from Harry and Ron until she found herself alone. She had just managed to clear the panic out of her head and suddenly it all came crashing back in. She stumbled through the forest some more, and wound up sitting in a small patch of dirt, crying softly.

A soft voice spoke in Bulgarian to her. She didn't quite recognize the words, being able to write better than she could understand or even get her mouth around the words. But she knew that whoever it was, probably wasn't going to hurt her.

"It's alright," she managed to say. Her throat still felt closed up. "I'm fine."

There was what sounded like cursing. "Should haff used inglesh first." The man bent down to look at her and Hermione realized that it was Viktor. "Her-mow," he started. "No. Not right. Miss Granger, how are you?"

"Fine. Fine. A little startled, and panicked, but I'm fine." She tried to brush away his question, but wondered if she was even doing a little bit to convince him.

"Not fine," he said with enough conviction that she knew she hadn't fooled anyone. She hadn't even managed to fool herself.

Viktor extended a hand to her, and lifted her off the forest floor with ease. She admired his strength, glad that the darkness hid most of her blush.

"I'm sorry Viktor," she said softly. "I got lost and then got so scared I couldn't do anything."

Part of her wondered when he had just become Viktor to her. The logical part argued that it wasn't that strange since he was her soulmate and they had met each other once before. The less logical side argued that she shouldn't call him by his first name till he would do the same.

"Is alright," he told her. "Vould feel same vay. Here I take you vhere English minister is."

They walked through the forest, Hermione holding onto Viktor's hand. It was soothing, and she needed a reminder that she wasn't alone. And it was easier to stay together holding on to him like that.

Soon enough, the stopped, just a few yards away from a clearing where Hermione could see both Harry and Fudge. From the voices, all talking at once, it sounded like there were quite a few other people there.

"You go on," Viktor said. "I vill stay here. Don't vant attention."

She smiled a tad melancholy. She knew exactly why he would want to stay out of the spotlight. But she didn't want him to be away from him. Strange.

She let his hand go reluctantly, and summoned every last bit of courage she had. But once she had walked into the clearing, things weren't nearly as scary as they had been when she had gotten lost.

"There you are Mione," Ron hissed to her. "I was hoping you were behind us."

"What's going on?"

"After we lost you, Harry realized he'd lost his wand. The minister thinks that the dark mark was set off from somewhere around here."

She looked up, seeing the snake protruding from a skull hanging in the sky. Just the sight of it made her shiver. "Who would do such a thing?" she whispered.

"Death Eaters," Ron shrugged. "Anyway. Crouch just fired his house elf since she had Harry's wand which was used to cast the spell for that." He pointed up.

Hermine suppressed another shudder at the thought that one of her best friends' wands was used for such nefarious purposes. But her heart crumbled at the thought of the now crying house elf.

She excused herself from Ron, who was still enthralled in the goings on of Harry and the minister. Kneeling down next to the elf she tried to soothe the poor creature.

"What can I do to help?" she asked.

"Master is giving Winky clothes!" the elf wailed. "Winky doesn't want clothes! Winky wants to go home!"

"What if I could help you find a new home?" Hermione asked. Her heart was breaking as tears fell down the house elf's nose.

The elf sniffled a little, but her sobs subsided. "You would help Winky find a new home?"

"Of course. I know that Mrs. Weasley certainly wouldn't object to having some help around the house. I know she couldn't pay you…"

"Oh no miss," Winky said. "Winky could never be taking wages. It isn't right for a house elf. House elves are supposed to serve. Not be paid."

Hermione thought that was just silly. House elves deserved to be paid for their services, just as much as anyone else. She would have to do something about that.

"Okay kids," Mr. Weasley said as the matter between Harry and the minister was closed, "we should all get some sleep before going home."

Hermione stayed at the back with Winky, walking at a pace where the short creature could easily keep up. Mr. Weasley dropped back to walk with them, knowing that at least Percy could lead the group.

"Who have you got there Hermione?" he asked.

"This is Winky. I was wondering if you and Mrs. Weasley might be willing to give her a home. If not, I'll find something else, but it…"

"Don't worry about it," Mr. Weasley said. "I'm sure Molly would love an extra set of hands around the house. But it will get significantly less busy once the kids go back to Hogwarts."

"That's alright, Mr. Weasley. I think Mr. Crouch probably wasn't home much either. Especially with the way that Percy talks about him and work."

"What do you think Winky?" Mr. Weasley asked. "Do you want to come home with me?"

"Winky would like that very much."

Mr. Weasley caught up to the other teenagers, Hermione and her little friend still taking their time.

"Writing on your arm?" the elf asked.

Hermione looked at her left arm that still held the writing. Her sleeve had been pushed up, and torn, revealing the inky skin beneath. She pulled it down, a tad self-conscious.

"Yes. I have a bad habit of writing on my arm. Please don't tell my friends."

"Winky won't tell friends. But Winky must let lady know that she has a soulmate. A strong one too, if you are able to talk to each other like that."

Hermione stopped in her tracks. "How do you know that?"

"Elves know more of the old ways than wizards. They have forgotten that they don't control all magic. They forget that magical creatures are more capable of handling and understanding some magic better than they. But elves know. Elves can see. And when wizards, or witches, are kind, sometimes we can share what we know."

"Thank you Winky."

The walked in relative silence back to the tents. Getting there, Hermione wanted to just lie down on her bed and sleep for hours, but instead thought of her new acquaintance.

"Do you want a blanket or something?" Hermione asked.

Winky shook her head. "I'm not tired. I have so much to think about."

Hermione flopped down, exhausted. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione found that sleeping in a real bed, in a real house, was much preferable to sleeping in a cot in a tent. And she found that sleeping without the danger of being ambushed by anyone other than Weasleys comforting.

She didn't like the howlers that Percy kept receiving, but he had managed to soundproof his room decently enough that they didn't sound constantly.

Winky had settled into being the Weasley's house elf like a spark settled into a bonfire. She cleaned, she cooked, she woke Percy up with coffee after he had fallen asleep at his desk for the third night in a row. She was a life saver.

Hermione smiled over her mug at the sleepy faces around her. She liked the mornings, far more than she liked staying up at night. But she did also like getting enough sleep. So she had made a conscious effort to go to bed on time so that she wouldn't be exhausted.

"Morning," Ron grumbled as he stumbled into the kitchen. He was dressed in his pajamas, which were a few inches too small for him. He gratefully accepted a cup of breakfast tea from Winky and sat at the table.

"Good morning Ron," Hermione smiled. "Sleep well."

"No," Harry grumbled as he followed Ron in. "We're right above Percy, so we heard just about everything last night."

"Are you sure you heard everything?" Fred asked with a smile on his face.

"Just the howlers, Percy yelling back, some exploding, and some very serious scribbling," Ron retorted.

Mrs. Weasley heaped bacon onto plates and dished out eggs and toast. "Everyone had better eat up. We'll be going to Diagon Alley today to pick up school supplies. You are going to need your energy."

Hermione ate silently, next to a Ginny who was very clearly still in dreamland. She had stayed up much later than Hermione, and was paying for it.

A few hours later, they were in Diagon Alley, everyone wide awake and excited. Harry and Ron ran off to the quiditch shop first. Of course. Hermione rolled her eyes at the thought that they would do anything different.

She was anxious to get to the bookshop, but rationalized that if she got all of her other shopping done first, she would have more time to just browse. And that was what she really wanted to do.

She quickly finished her shopping for ingredients and equipment. She walked into Madame Milkin's for her school robes when the next item on her list caught her eye. Dress robes. Why would she need dress robes?

She picked out robes, which were tailored to fit her. And then there was the matter of dress robes. Hermione wasn't the biggest shopper, so she wasn't sure what to do about that little matter.

Madam Milkin herself was a great help. She had a thousand different ideas and Hermione had been able to come to some sort of agreement with her. They had settled on soft periwinkle robes in such a soft fabric that Hermione wasn't dreading wearing them. And the style wasn't bad either.

Confident that everything on her list had been acquired, other than the books, she headed into Flourish and Blots. She ran one hand along the spines of books absentmindedly as she walked. It was such a comfort to her to be surrounded by books.

She found the required books easily enough. The shop did make most of its money from Hogwarts students and so organized itself to be easy to navigate. She gathered those, and then spent an hour perusing the shelves for anything else she might like to read.

Three books on charms, two on transfiguration, and five novels later, she finally had made all her purchases. She was just about to leave the shop when Harry and Ron entered, obviously looking for her.

"There you are," Ron said.

"Well if you hadn't rushed off to look at broomsticks you would have found me a lot sooner," she muttered.

"Don't mind him Hermione," Harry said. He was forever getting between the two of them. They were both so strong willed that it was somewhat surprising they hadn't strangled each other yet. "He's just mad because I told him this was where you would be."

Hermione cracked a smile at that. Ron would be upset if someone managed to think of something practical before him. He didn't mind it when it came to homework, but that wasn't exactly the same thing.

"Come on," she said to the two of them. "It's almost time to meet everyone back at the Leaky Cauldron."

They headed back to the pub that they would floo back to the Burrow from. Mrs. Weasley was there with most everyone's things. Hermione had decided to take care of her own school supplies, but Harry had opted to leave that to the lady who most resembled a mother in his life.

"Alright," she said once she saw the three of them. "You're the last of us here. Fred and George have already flooed home with Ginny. Now Ron, it's your turn."

Ron took some floo powder and entered the fireplace. Once he had vanished in a blaze of green flames, Harry did the same.

Once it was just the two of them, Mrs. Weasley turned to Hermione. "I know you have something to ask dear. Don't worry. I won't bite."

"I know," Hermione started. "It's just hard to explain. I guess I was wondering what's going on this year. Dress robes have never been on our lists before. And they weren't ever on Fred and George's so don't tell me it was just because we weren't old enough."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "I'm afraid that I'm not at liberty to tell you. Don't worry, it should be grand fun. And there will be quite a few new people around for you to talk to. You might even make friends."

Hermione nodded. Mrs. Weasley had said more than enough. Now all Hermione had to do was to look up what had gone on in years before that might fit with what little clues she had.

Flooing back to the Burrow, she was excited. She had her things, and school was starting in just a few days. Not to mention that something special would be happening that year. She could feel it in her bones.

She carefully packed everything in her trunk before sitting on the floor. There was a game of exploding snap going on downstairs, so she was fairly confident that she wouldn't be disturbed until it was time for dinner.

She pulled out her pen and twirled it in her hand as she thought of what to say.

 _Are you there?_

She could almost feel Viktor's eyes roll. _Where else would I be? You're writing on my arm._

 _Actually I'm writing on my arm. It just shows up on yours._

 _For someone who writes Bulgarian so well, I am surprised that you didn't understand me when I spoke to you that night._

Hermione felt her cheeks flush bright red. She knew that it was going to come up sooner or later.

 _I learnt to write Bulgarian because it was what always showed up on my arms so unexpectedly. Everything else was in my own handwriting. I haven't exactly had any practice speaking the language. You might learn to read and write from books, but speaking is a whole other subject._

 _You make a good point. When I see you again, I will start teaching you how to speak Bulgarian. But I must ask, since I know English, why write to me in Bulgarian?_

Hermione bit the end of her pen, considering her words. She had a hundred different answers depending on who asked.

 _I guess that it started with curiosity. I didn't know who you were, and if you even understood English. And now, it seems easier to talk to you this way. And, if any of my friends catch me, I can say that I'm practicing a new language._

 _True enough. I like reading what you have written in my native tongue. But, I think I'm looking forward to hearing it more._

Hermione blushed bright red and pulled her sleeve down so that she could think for a moment. Just after she had done that, the door burst open to reveal Ginny.

"Mione, it's dinner time. The boys sent me up to fetch you," she said. She paused, taking in the scene in front of her. "What's got you all flustered?"

"Viktor Krum," Hermione answered without thinking.

"He flusters everyone," Ginny said nonchalantly. "Especially Ron."

Hermione thought that Viktor had to fluster her more than Ron. Ron hadn't even spoken to the man. But none of the Weasleys knew that she had. And she wasn't about to reveal that little secret.

"Go on Ginny. I'll be down in a minute. I just want to check one last thing."

Ginny rolled her eyes at Hermione's antics. But she headed down the stairs, leaving the door wide open.

 _I have to go. Dinner. Will talk to you soon._

She pulled the sleeve over her arm too soon to see the words he had written.

 _Don't be too long._

* * *

A/N: A reminder that the italics are supposed to be Bulgarian. But since I'm not fluent, and I'm not expecting anyone reading my story to be fluent, I'm using italics.

Also, you won't actually get to know what Hermione's dress looks like till we get to the Yule ball. That's still a ways away.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione thought that being surrounded by aurors was a nuisance. And she wasn't exactly wrong. Even Harry didn't like the fact that they were coming along. But Harry didn't like any extra attention.

But if there was one thing that Harry found more annoying than anything else was not knowing something that Draco Malfoy was privy to. And it sounded as if Malfoy knew something that would be going on at Hogwarts that year.

And Ron wasn't too pleased about Malfoy knowing something that he could use to further torment the Weasleys. But Hermione knew that there wasn't much that could be done about that. But she also knew that if Malfoy did know something, he wasn't supposed to know and he was very aware of that.

If he said anything, Hermione wasn't above calling him out on it. Malfoy knew that. He was also certain that something was going on.

She sat in her compartment, quill in hand. She had a few pens, but had put them in her trunk, where they had fallen to the bottom. She hadn't been able to grab one that morning, and had settled for a quill and parchment instead.

 _Dear Viktor,_

She paused, looking at the words. While someone might be able to guess Viktor's name, they wouldn't know exactly to whom she was writing. Not that they would even know she'd been writing a letter.

 _First I want to ask how you are. It feels like a rather silly question, seeing as we will probably talk before this gets to you. But I want to know how you are._

 _Something strange is going on here. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm fairly certain that it's something big. And you should have heard Malfoy, he's one of the more pretentious boys in my year, talking about how his father nearly sent him to Durmstrang. I think he knows something. Not sure what yet._

 _I do know that I had to get dress robes recently. So something is definitely going to be different this year. No one has had dress robes on their school list for as long as I've known about it._

 _What's going on in Bulgaria? Are you still in school, or did you graduate already? I just realized that I don't actually know how old you are?_

 _I know this sounds silly since we're almost certainly going to have another conversation soon, but please write me back._

 _Hermione._

She looked down at what she had written, satisfied. She would send it off later that evening, maybe with a post script if necessary. She would rather use one of the school owls than ask Harry to use Hedwig. He would ask who she was sending a letter to so quickly.

That was a question she wanted to avoid. She also wanted to avoid the questions of what she was doing. She folded up her parchment and rolled her eyes at the boys.

"Just because you're perfectly content to wait until we start class to start learning and practicing things does not mean that I am."

"Come on Mione," Ron whined, "we don't mean that. We were just curious."

Harry elbowed Ron in the side. "As curious as we are, we shouldn't invade on your privacy. But if you ever want to share what you're working on, we'll listen." He shot a glare at Ron.

"Of course we will," Ron said.

Hermione was dubious. Ron had a bad habit of tuning her out whenever she talked about something she was excited about. Which was one of his more aggravating flaws. The most annoying was his habit of forgetting that there was food in his mouth when he tried to speak. It was gross.

"It's fine. It's just a personal project on something I'm interested in. And I know you guys wouldn't want to hear about it." She shrugged their questions away.

The rest of the train ride was spent in relative silence. Hermione was anxious to get to Hogwarts. Anxious to start classes. Anxious to send her letter. Anxiety was coming off her in waves.

The boys didn't notice. They spent a rather large portion of their time stuffing their faces with sweets. Never mind that there would be a feast that evening.

Hermione shuddered at the sight of them chewing so fast that it looked like they could hardly breathe. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight. She instead tried to read one of the novels she had bought. But she had only gotten ten pages in when it was time to change into her robes.

She dressed in the restroom, pulling her sleeves down as far as they could go. Words of comfort from Viktor were written on the inside of her arm.

 _Darling, do not worry. You are smart. You are kind. You are going to be okay. And we shall see each other sooner than you think._

Hermione wasn't sure what to make of that last sentence. She wasn't sure when they would see each other again. She supposed, as soulmates it would makes sense for them to meet each other again. Particularly since they both seemed to like each other.

But there was the little issue of distance. He lived in Bulgaria. He played quiditch in Bulgaria. Sure there was some travel, but she wasn't sure where.

She lived in England. Sure, Hogwarts was in Scotland, but that was just north of England on the same island. It wasn't exactly closer to Bulgaria.

She shook her head, glad that she would see Viktor soon enough. She couldn't shake him out of her thoughts. And she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

Instead, she allowed part of her mind to drift as she, Harry, and Ron rode the carriages to the castle and walked to the great hall. They were talking quiditch. Ron was thinking of trying out for the team, and Harry was giving him some pointers for tryouts.

Hermione briefly wished that she had a friend that was a girl to talk to. She would be able to avoid some of the sports talk, and might actually be able to sit with someone who managed to chew and swallow before they spoke.

But that thought was pushed out of her mind as Neville came up to her. He had grown a bit over the summer, and looked somewhat happy to be back at school. Though he wasn't exactly one of her best friends, he certainly avoided the troubles of sports metaphors and speaking with food in his mouth.

"How are you?" she asked him.

"Good. I got a few new Herbology books, and Professor Sprout is going to let me help her in the greenhouses in one of my free periods." He sounded beyond excited. "How are things going with you?"

She smiled. "I'm just excited to be back."

Neville laughed. "That's our Hermione. You can't stop her from wanting to be at school."

She nodded and gave a laugh. While it was true that Hogwarts was one of her favourite places on earth, she wasn't sure that it was going to be as magical a year as she had hoped. And she desperately hoped that she could find some way to make the year spectacular.

They sat down for the sorting ceremony. They cheered for the Gryffindor, clapped for the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and Harry and Ron would have jeered at the new Slytherins had Hermione not stopped them.

"They're eleven," she hissed. "Be nice to them. They might be good if they have a good influence."

"You remember Malfoy!" Ron said indignantly.

"And you met his father. You can't tell me that he was born evil." Her glare silenced both the boys and she ate her food quietly.

After the feast, Dumbledore gave a few words to the first years and then made an announcement that turned the school upside down. Quiditch was canceled. And the Triwizard Tournament would be held at Hogwarts. Students from Beauxbeatons and Durmstrang would be arriving to compete.

Hermione felt her heart take flight at the news. Her fingers itched to write to Viktor. But she would wait until after dinner. She could do that at least.

Desert came and went, along with the arrival of one Mad-eye Moody. He was going to teach defense against the dark arts that year. It was going to be interesting to have lessons from a professional auror.

The feast over, Hermione flew up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. She wrote a short post script on the letter and dashed over to the owlery. She selected one of the heartier owls for her task, having no clue where Durmstrang was located.

Her letter sent on its way, she returned to her room. She pulled the curtains around her, and summoned a pen from her trunk.

 _How are you?_ She wrote.

 _Doing well. And how are you?_

 _Rather excited. They told us about the Triwizard tournament. I assume that you're coming over for that._

 _You would be right._

Hermione took a few deep breaths. She was going to get to see Viktor soon. Sooner than she had dared hope for.

 _I'm glad. I want to see you again. And you did promise to teach me to speak Bulgarian._

 _That I did. I'm looking forward to that. Even if I don't become the champion for my school, I will have something worth so much more than eternal glory._

Hermione blushed. She supposed she would have to get used to such comments.


	6. Chapter 6

Classes had started that morning. Hermione didn't have any homework yet, but she had a few books on her list to check out from the library so that she could stay well ahead of her work. Harry and Ron thought that she was nuts, but they had done that for three years and it hadn't changed anything.

Herbology had been about as boring as she thought that it would be. They hadn't done much, just go over the safety rules for the new greenhouse. And both Hermione and Neville were very disappointed that they hadn't had time for anything more than that.

Care of magical creatures had certainly been more interesting. Hagrid had decided to throw them into a lesson on Blast-Ended Skrewts. Whatever they were, and no one was sure, they were rather volatile. Everyone, save Hagrid, was a little wary of the creatures.

Hermione had made a list of things she thought the Skrewts could be bred from. And as uncertain as she was on them, she was very interested to see what Hagrid had come up with.

She split from the boys after lunch. They had divination, a class she had dropped. She was headed off to arithmancy, and was excited to see Professor Vectra. She had spent the summer doing some extra arithmancy work, and was hoping to talk to Professor Vectra about it.

But before she knew it, her classes were done for the day. She had gotten the books from the library, and an extra on the history of house elves. She wanted to know exactly why Winky had been so distraught when fired, and why she had not even wanted wages.

She hadn't found much. What the book seemed to focus on was the creation of house elves. And while it was extraordinarily interesting, it didn't have much on why they didn't want wages or what Hermione thought of as freedom.

She'd read through it until dinner, and brought the book down with her. She was distracted through dinner, until Malfoy threw a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table.

"Looks like your family doesn't need any help getting into trouble," he sneered.

Hermione and Harry held Ron back. The red head looked like he was going to strangle Malfoy if given the chance.

"Don't do it Ron," Hermione told him. "He's not worth it."

Malfoy scoffed. "Like a mudblood would know who was worth anything."

Hermione took a deep breath to keep from punching Malfoy herself. She and Harry pulled Ron out of the great hall and into the courtyard. There he punched a tree, before cursing and nursing his hand.

"Why does he have to do that?"

"He's Malfoy," Harry shrugged. "He's just a jerk."

"If you think that anyone growing up with Lucius Malfoy was going to be different, you would be wrong," Hermione said. "Besides, you know he does it to get a rise out of you."

"Maybe. But he's still a git."

Malfoy swept into the courtyard, Crabbe and Goyle following him. "Running away were we?"

Hermione counted to ten in her head. She had punched Malfoy in the face at the end of third year, and it had felt amazing to be able to do that. But she really didn't want to get in trouble. There was always the chance of running into one of the teachers out in the courtyard.

"Cut it out Malfoy," Harry said. "Mummy wouldn't like it if you did something. But then, I guess she has to deal with your father too."

Harry turned around and Malfoy pulled out his wand to retaliate, but before he could do anything, he had lost a lot of height and gained a lot of fur.

Moody bounced the ferret Malfoy along. "You need to learn some manners. You don't attack someone behind their back."

"Alastor," McGonagall said. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching."

She looked from him to the two Slytherins. "Teaching? Is that a student?"

"It might be."

"Alastor! We do not use transfiguration as a punishment." She turned Malfoy back into his human form. "We issue detention or talk to their head of house. Mr. Malfoy here is under Severus' house. Surely Dumbledore mentioned that to you."

"He might have said something," Moody mumbled.

Hermione was having a hard time keeping herself from laughing at the whole situation. While she did try to not do anything rash, it was very hard to be civil around Malfoy. And he had been a bouncing ferret.

Harry and Ron had lost it and were in heaps laughing on the ground. Hermione covered her smile with one hand and gathered her books to go back upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

"The dormitory. I've got some work I want to get done."

She didn't have any homework. But she did have some reading that she wanted to get done. And she knew that Harry and Ron were going to talk about Professor Moody for hours, not letting her get anything done.

She closed the curtains around her bed, allowing for some privacy. Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patail weren't bad, but they sometimes tried to rope her into conversations that she didn't particularly want to be a part of.

She tried reading the book on house elves. Her mind wandered so much that making progress wasn't exactly possible. And she was having trouble thinking of anything but what had just happened in the courtyard.

Without knowing it, she had doodled a ferret on her left arm.

 _What's with the animal? I didn't know you drew?_

Hermione looked at her arm. Sure enough, there was a fairly realistic likeness of the Malfoy ferret.

 _Sorry. I was just doodling. I try not to, at least when it comes to notes. I'm just distracted today._

 _Does it have something to do with the strange creature that you were drawing?_

 _Something like that. One of my teachers transfigured a student into that animal,_ she didn't know how to say ferret in Bulgarian, _and I can't help but think that it was a little unfair. Even if he is the biggest bully in our year._

 _That's an unusual treatment._

 _You're telling me. But it was funny._

 _Anything else happen today? I did get your letter, but I'll be responding to it the same way you wrote me. There's so much to say, and arms don't have the most space._

Hermione had to agree with that. She cast a cleaning spell on her arm. And Viktor must have cast one on his end because the words faded before her eyes.

 _I have been doing some studying,_ she wrote. _Nothing major. Just some stuff I want to learn, since we haven't gotten any homework yet. And I started reading a book on house elves. Do you know anything about them?_

 _Not as much as I should. I know mother has one at home. And I know that they have magic that can surpass some of the things we do as wizards. But not much more than that._

Hermione looked at her arm. She had learnt a few things. And she wasn't sure what to think of any of them.

The first was that Viktor's family had a house elf. She wasn't even sure how to process that. On one hand, a discarded elf saw itself as a failure. And taking one in could prevent catastrophes. But on the other, she felt that they should be compensated for their efforts.

The second was that while Viktor admitted that they had value, he didn't know their stories. At least he was honest about that. But she had come to realize in her reading that most purebloods didn't think twice about house elves since they had been around for so long.

 _Are you still there?_ Viktor wrote.

 _Sorry. Just thinking._

 _You are always thinking. When I see you again, I will have to distract you from thinking. Maybe take you dancing._

 _Dancing? Why dancing?_

 _I think it would be fun. And I can dance fairly well, if I do say so myself._

 _It could be fun,"_ Hermione admitted. She hadn't ever danced before. But it could be fun.

 _Good night Hermione. I look forward to seeing you again._

 _Good night Viktor._

* * *

A/N: So there isn't going to be S.P.E.W. thought I will make sure that Hermione cares about the house elves. That's just part of who she is.

And I'm hoping to break away from the book more in the following chapters. I will include Moody's class, but after that we're jumping to a bit more fluff when Viktor and the other Durmstrang students get to Hogwarts.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione was angry. She was furious. She was thinking of ways to get Professor Moody fired. And that was something that she had hardly ever even thought of about Professor Snape.

She walked next to Neville, who seemed caught up into his mind. She was fuming, and he was fearful. Not of her. Hermione was one of those people who once you managed to get on her good side, it was hard to be afraid of her.

And ever since that first day on the train, Neville had been on Hermione's good side. She was willing to protect him to the ends of the earth. And he knew that was why she was muttering about hexing a professor off the face of the school.

"Longbottom," Moody shouted down the stairs.

"Just keep walking," Neville told himself.

Hermione slowed down, keeping herself between the professor and her friend. She might have been anxious to get to the homework that Moody had assigned, being the first professor to do so, but she was mildly more nervous about Neville.

"Longbottom." Moody walked down the stairs. "Would you like some tea?"

"Do you want me to come with you?" Hermione whispered.

Neville nodded slightly. "Sir," he said to Professor Moody, "might Hermione come too?"

"Absolutely."

They headed back up the stairs to Moody's office. Hermione still positioned herself between the professor and Neville. She could tell that something was odd, but she wasn't sure what.

Moody poured some tea, setting it in front of the students. He stretched out his legs, real and fake, settling into the chair.

"How's class treating you two?" he asked.

Hermione swallowed her tea in a gulp. "Very well sir," she said. "Though I do fear you are the first to give us homework and I have yet to start on it."

Moody gave a hearty chuckle. "If I've heard about you correctly Miss Granger, you'll do just fine even if I do take up some of your time. And how about you Longbottom?"

"I'm not doing as well as Hermione," Neville said slowly. "I'm doing alright. Professor Snape still is as strict as ever. And I do have to work on your essay as well."

"Alright. I just wanted to apologize for frightening you in class today. And Sprout said that you were her best student, so I have this for you." He handed Neville a book of plants.

"Thank you, sir," Neville said.

Hermione swallowed the last of her tea, and heaved her book bag onto her shoulder. She had an essay to write, and she wanted to get to the library before all of the good books had been checked out. Even if Neville had assured her that most people wouldn't even start looking for a day or two.

They walked to the library, Neville more wanting Hermione's help getting some ideas than anything else. And Hermione was looking to compile some sources and notes so that she could outline her essay that evening.

She pulled books off the shelf, knowing the general layout of the library. She had spent so much time in it that she could almost walk around it blindfolded.

Neville sat down at the table, searching through the texts for anything regarding the unforgivable curses. He took detailed notes, even mentioning page numbers as Hermione piled enough books to build a fort onto the table.

She wrote as if there was a whirlwind was flowing through her veins. Ten books for her later, and three for Neville, it was time for dinner. She piled the books into one of the returns baskets, and tucked away her parchment and quills. Neville did the same.

At dinner, Hermione sat with Harry and Ron. She watched them as they talked about how awesome they thought the lesson with Professor Moody was. She sighed internally, grateful that the food managed to keep her silent.

"Did you spend all afternoon in the library?" Ron asked eventually.

Harry shot her a sympathetic glance. He knew how nosy Ron could be, and how condescending he was of her study habits. But Harry was more like Ron than Hermione when it came to schoolwork. He wanted to have fun. But Harry actually managed to get his work done, most of the time.

She shook her head. "No. Just most of it."

"What were you doing?" Harry asked. He was intrigued. He wasn't sure what she had been doing.

"I had tea with Neville and Professor Moody." She took a drink of pumpkin juice, attempting to calm herself down.

"You did what?" Ron nearly shouted. "That's so cool!"

Hermione had to stop herself from shielding her ears. Ron was sitting next to her, which stopped her from having to watch him eat, but meant that he was much closer and therefore louder.

"He wanted to have tea with Neville. Not me," Hermione protested.

"Still," Harry said, "it is pretty cool."

She finished her last bite, and scooped up her things. "If he actually wants to say something to me, it might be. Otherwise, I've got work to do."

She walked up to her dorm. Sitting at the desk next to her bed, she unfolded her notes. She started putting ideas together on scrap paper, trying to make some sense of how to put everything together. She thought she might have scrapped a decent outline together when she looked at her wrist.

 _Hello Darling._

She smiled at the words. Viktor somehow managed to make her feel nervous and calm at the same time.

 _Hello there,_ she wrote back. _How are you?_

 _Getting ready for the trip to Hogwarts. I think I get more excited by the day. We're going to be leaving soon. I know that magical travel is much faster than normal, but we still have quite a way to go._

 _Is there any way that I could get a hint as to where you're coming from?_ She knew the answer would be in the negative, but she couldn't help but hope.

 _If my headmaster found out, it would not be so pleasant. But, I think I might be able to let something slip once we get there._

A smile crossed Hermione's lips as she penned her words carefully. _I can't wait. Don't do anything too crazy._

 _I won't._

She finished up her essay outline, even though she had to fight to concentrate. Lavender and Pavarti entered the dorm just a few minutes after that, and she knew that trying to write her essay would be a futile effort.

Instead she dressed for bed, and lay down. Looking at the word _Darling_ still written on her wrist, she drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Viktor smiled to himself as he walked aboard the ship. He pulled his trunk almost effortlessly, in spite of the heavy nature of the wood and stuff inside. His attention wavered, but his steps didn't.

He quickly settled everything into his cabin, or his half of the cabin. He was sharing with his friend Vlad. Vlad was Russian, and particular about his space. Viktor left him to arrange his stuff, and walked onto the deck.

The salt in the air tickled his nostrils. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, but it was certainly one that he wasn't used to. Durmstrang wasn't particularly close to the sea, so he hadn't gotten used to the smell of salt.

He rolled up his sleeves, and leaned over the edge. He was excited to be heading to Hogwarts. He was excited for the tournament. But he was mostly excited to see Hermione.

"I thought you were supposed to be below deck," Alexzander said.

"I was. But Vlad is…"

"Vlad," Alex supplied. "I know."

They stared at the waves in silence. While the ship could sail itself, they liked to help as much as they could. And so, they busied themselves with ropes and sails.

Within an hour, they were on their way. And it never felt better for Viktor.

* * *

Hermione found herself anxious as October arrived. She and Viktor had been writing, but her letters hadn't been responded to. He had mentioned something about how they were crossing the ocean affecting their arrival, but she didn't understand what that meant.

She was about to head to the library to work on the essay that Professor Flitwick would assign in a week's time when she heard a ruckus. Walking towards the sound of the commotion, she found that everyone was hurrying out to the courtyard.

She rushed out as well, not wanting to be the last person that news got around to. It was always unfortunate when that happened, and was even more so when you were supposed to be the smartest person in your year.

Circling up above was a carriage pulled by horses. It looked fairly reasonable, at least as far as magic went, until it came closer and the size of the thing was apparent. The carriage was huge, and the horses even bigger.

As students stumbled out, some shivering in silks, it was clear why the carriage was so big. And then, a tall lady, taller than even Rubius Hagrid himself, stepped out.

She was beautiful, breathtaking, and simply amazing. Her dark black hair was cut in a bob. Her emerald eyes sparkled in the sunlight. And her robes were of the highest French fashion. She was quite a sight to behold.

The students were ushered into the much warmer castle, as Madame Maxine told Hagrid that her horses only drank single malt whiskey.

Hermione was just about to head in, when she caught sight of a flag in the middle of the Black Lake. She walked forward a few steps, grateful that she had grabbed her scarf and cloak. It was most certainly a flag, and it was attached to a mast.

She walked to the edge of the courtyard as the ship rose from the water. It dripped water, and the smell of salt filled the air. The lake was a saltwater lake, but the smell was even more prominent as the ship docked.

She watched as Durmstrang students filed off the ship. They walked with military precision, boys and girls alike. It was strange to see. And then chaos erupted.

Girls screamed. Boys were yelling. Everyone was looking for parchment and quills. One girl was even desperate to ask if Viktor would autograph her robe with lipstick.

Hermione chuckled to herself. She had been around Harry long enough to know that teenage girls did crazy things around famous wizards. And she couldn't help but think that they were slightly crazy.

But when Viktor looked at her, she blushed deep red. He hadn't winked. He hadn't smiled. He hadn't done anything other than look at her. But she couldn't help the blood rushing to her face.

"Is that Viktor Krum?" Ron asked Harry.

"Sure looked like it."

"I have got to get an autograph," Ron almost whistled.

Hermione shook her head. She knew that Ron looked up to the Bulgarian seeker. Perhaps she might be able to get him something that he wanted. But she might have to wait for Christmas for him to accept it.

When the screaming died down, everyone practically rushed into the great hall. There was lots of talking, lots of mingling, and even some homework was finished. Before long, it was time for the welcoming feast to start.

Hermione was slightly disappointed to see Viktor at the Slytherin table. She knew that his headmaster would have likely instructed them to sit there, with his past as a death eater. But she still would have liked him to have been closer.

Even so, from where she sat, she could see him. And she watched him as covertly as she could. Not that she needed to worry. Practically everyone was openly staring at the international quiditch sensation.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

She shook her head. "Sorry. I was distracted. What were you saying?"

"I just asked if you could help me with my potions essay after dinner. I'm mostly done, but I need a little help with the conclusion. And you're the best at stuff like this." Harry looked at her like a little puppy.

"Of course I'll help you Harry," she said.

"Thanks," he said back.

"Hey Mione," Ron added. "Think you could help me too."

"It depends on how much you do. I'm not writing your essay for you," she told him. Hopefully it would be the last time he asked that particular question.

"I have the introduction done, but I need help with my points. I'll write, but I can't seem to understand what I'm trying to say."

Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes. She managed, barely, but knew that she would have to help Ron outline his entire essay. And she would probably wind up proofreading it in the early hours of the morning. It was a good thing he was her friend.

She finished her dinner and then told the boys to meet her in the library. She walked up the stairs, bag on her shoulder, trying to ignore the urge to grab a pen and write like the wind.

Instead she focused on putting one foot in front of the other until she got to the library. Setting her stuff down, it was so tempting to just write Viktor and at least say hello. And why shouldn't she?

 _Hey there,_ she wrote.

She pulled her sleeve back down and went to work on writing out a few ideas for Ron. She had already written her essay for Professor Snape, and had even gone so far as to turn it in ahead of time. She hated the idea that she could put so much work into something only for it to not matter if she forgot it.

Ron and Harry walked in after what had to be the end of the feast. She'd almost gotten three outlines for Ron, depending on what point he wanted to argue.

Harry handed her his essay to read and give feedback on. He and Ron talked over the outlines on the table and Ron picked one that fit with the introduction he had written. Leave it to him to find the one that required the least amount of work.

She and Harry finished his essay, and Ron managed to finish one paragraph before Madame Pince closed the library for the evening.

"Thanks a ton again Hermione," Harry said. "I probably wouldn't be passing potions without you."

"You'll read this over for me before potions?" Ron asked.

"I'm going to go to bed once we reach Gryffindor tower, but I'll look at it before you turn it in," she promised.

And once they reached the tower, Hermione did head up to her dorm. But she didn't go straight to sleep. Instead, she changed into her pajamas and sat with the curtains around her as she wrote more to Viktor.

 _Sorry I didn't write more earlier. I had to help my friends with homework. But it was great to see you._

The reply came almost instantaneously.

 _I know the feeling. Friends and schoolwork must come first. After all, even soulmates may not work out. But I hope this does. And I wish I could have actually spoken to you._

 _I'm usually in the library,_ Hermione told him. _If you can manage to get there, you might be able to teach me how to actually speak Bulgarian._

She could feel his smile as the words traced across her skin.

 _I promise I will do that, as soon as I can sneak away from all the fans following me. I might be a quiditch player, but I am also a student. One who needs to learn._

 _We'll think of something,_ Hermione promised.


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione sat with her head in a book in the great hall. After every paragraph, she would glance around, watching to see who was brave enough to put their name into the goblet.

She had watched the Weasley twins try, and come out of it with beards. The beards weren't bad, but she laughed that they thought they could outsmart Dumbledore with a simple aging potion. Of course he would have thought of something like that.

No one had asked for her advice on getting into the tournament. That was probably for the best. She would have at least attempted to talk anyone who tried out of it. People had died in the tournament. And she wasn't about to forget that.

But if someone had asked her what to do about the line, she would have probably helped them in the end. And she would have smiled coyly as she suggested that they ask someone else to place their name in the goblet.

She shook her head as she watched the seventeen year olds cajole each other on. Wizards didn't like to ask for help. And they thought that magic was the way to solve everything. Sometimes simpler was better.

She attempted to focus on her book. The story had actually been interesting before she had distracted herself with thinking about the tournament. And then, her mind fuzzed over.

Viktor had walked into the room, his steps deliberate. She could feel his eyes on her, her skin tingling where he looked, without even seeing him.

She tried desperately to keep looking at her book. But as her cheeks burned brighter, she knew that she couldn't keep up the act for long. She pulled her head out of the book long enough to admire Viktor as he placed his name in the cup.

He held her glance, walking away far too quickly for either of their liking. She put a bookmark in her novel, knowing that she wouldn't be able to focus on it for several hours.

Harry and Ron were looking at the circle. Harry was grateful to have a reason to avoid the competition. Otherwise, everyone their year would have expected him to enter, and he wanted to avoid danger if it was at all possible.

On the other hand, Ron was desperate for a chance to prove himself. And he wished that he could put his name in the goblet. If his name came out, it would prove to the world that he was worth something.

She pulled her sleeves down to cover the word on her arm. Just one word, but it spoke volumes.

 _Library?_

She put the novel into her bag. It was much lighter since she wasn't carrying around textbooks on a Saturday.

"Going to the library?" Harry asked.

"I just want to look something up," she said. It wasn't a lie. It was just that the something was a someone. Just a little detail that Harry didn't need to know.

"Let her go Harry," Ron said. "She can't ever get her head out of books."

She shook her head at Ron's insensitivity. For what felt like the hundredth time, she asked herself why she was friends with him. He wasn't the best friend a person could hope for.

But, she could still remember the smell of the troll from first year. And she could recall how it felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest when Harry and Ron showed up to rescue her. And she couldn't ever forget that they had saved her from certain death.

Though they might sometimes be prats, they always came through when things got hard. And Ron had put himself, broken leg and all, in front of Harry Potter. Harry had survived the killing curse once, and was probably the best equipped to handle the situation. But Ron protected him as best he could.

That was the way their friendship worked. Hermione was the brains. Ron was the heart, and soul. And Harry, well Harry was Harry. But they fit together in a way that no one understood.

She found that while she was thinking, her feet had walked her up to the library. She hesitated in the hall for just a moment, not wanting to be around Viktor while fuming over Ron and his insensitivity.

But she shook her head and walked in to the library. And a wave of calm washed over her like the incoming tide washed over the beach.

Viktor was hiding behind a stack of books, doing a fairly bad job of trying to blend in.

She tapped him on the shoulder. "Hello."

He turned around, already knowing who was behind him. But he wanted to pick her up, twirl her and kiss her. And he knew that it wasn't the right time or place for such things.

"Hello," he responded instead.

The stood there in silence for a moment, the air around them growing tense. While there wasn't any outside pressure for things to work out between them, they both wanted it to. And they weren't sure what to do.

"How was your day?" Hermione asked trying to break the ice.

"It vas alright. It got much better vhen a pretty young vitch agreed to meet me here." He winked at her.

She felt her cheeks grow red again. With as much as he complimented her and flirted with her she thought that she ought to be used to it by then. But she wasn't. And she wasn't sure that she ever would be.

"Vhat is on your mind?" Viktor asked.

"I was just thinking that you are a horrible flirt," she muttered.

"Am not horrible. I flirt vell," he teased.

She laughed at that. "No. It's an expression. It means that you flirt a lot. Not that you're bad at it."

He nodded his head, mulling over her words. He seemed satisfied that she wasn't insulting his attempts to woo her. And that was the most important thing.

"So, does it bother you?" he asked her.

Hermione shook her head. "I actually find it rather endearing. But I'm not used to hearing someone talk about me so pleasantly."

He kissed her hand. "Then they are blind fools."

She flushed again. "Are you just going to compliment me?"

"If that is vhat it takes for you to believe me, I vill compliment you all day every day," he promised. "But is not vhy I wanted to meet you. I believe I said I vould teach you how to speak Bulgarian."

They spent the next hour going over the basic sounds of the alphabet. Viktor assured Hermione that once she got that down, words would be much easier to understand. After all, the writing was fairly phonetic. And she could read and write.

When they reluctantly parted ways, it was to go to dinner. And neither of them was eager to go. They even walked down the stairs together, each stealing glances at the other.

They finally parted ways just before the great hall. They knew that it would seem unusual for them to arrive at the same time. But they wanted to spend as much time together as possible.

At dinner, Harry and Ron filled her in on who had put their names into the goblet of fire. She wasn't particularly interested. The one person she had wanted to see put his name in, had done so. But she wasn't about to let Ron or Harry know that.

"And then Cassius Warrington put his name into the hat," Ron said distastefully.

"And?"

"What do you mean Hermione?" Ron screeched. "He's a Slytherin!"

"That doesn't make him a death eater," Hermione said. "Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor."

Harry nodded his head. "And he betrayed his best friends." His voice was solemn.

"Better Warrington than Malfoy," Ron admitted.

"Only because Malfoy would use it to torment Harry," Hermione agreed.

From where she sat she could see that Malfoy was sitting next to Viktor, talking his ear off. Viktor had said as few words as possible, and she suspected they were in Bulgarian.

A slight smile crossed her face at the thought, and both of the boys picked up on it.

"What's funny Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I was just thinking that Krum looks irritated with Malfoy," she said. It felt weird to refer to Viktor by his last name. Almost wrong even.

"He does," Ron said. "Who knew? Malfoy can alienate himself from just about anyone."

They all laughed at that thought. Apparently power and money wasn't enough to make people like you.

"Hey, Hermione," Neville said timidly. "I know you probably have stuff to do later, but do you want to read in the common room later? My gran sent me a book I think you'd like. And maybe you could recommend something to me."

"Sure thing Neville." Hermione smiled at him. "I actually have a few I'm done with. What are you looking for?"

"Something I can understand. The book Professor Moody gave me on plants is all well and nice, and something I can comprehend. But I kind of want something a little less school related. Unless you have something that will help me so that potions won't explode in my face," he said.

The walked up the stairs, Hermione going over every single book she had in her head. She had a list of things that Neville might like by the time they got there.

"Wait here," she said. And she hurried up to her dorm. Grabbing a few books, she absentmindedly stuck a few things in her pockets. Most were bits of rubbish, but a pen or two found its way in there as well.

She headed down, excited to spend some time doing something she loved, with a friend who actually didn't mind. And wanted to read as well.

She went over the options, and he selected a muggle novel about a teenager in a world where the environment itself could be deadly. It was called "Under the Never Sky." It wasn't one that Hermione had actually suspected he would like, but she had grabbed it on a whim. She was glad she had.

The book that Neville's grandmother had sent him was all about ancient magic. It was something that most students would find a tad dry, but Hermione lapped the knowledge up like it was water in a desert.

There was a section on house elves, and the traditions about them. It turns out that they found serving the most righteous act and had dedicated their entire lives to it. It sounded awfully religious, but she suspected that wizards had once had religion. She made a note to ask Winky about house elves the next chance she got.

And the section on soulmates was one that she had hoped for, but hadn't dared to admit it to herself for fear of heartbreak.

As she had suspected, soulmates were an unusual thing. And it wasn't often that they found each other and loved one another. Most soulmates were best friends, and they usually didn't become more than that.

For a brief moment Hermione wondered if Harry and Ron were soulmates. But she quickly decided that was none of her business. After all, she didn't want them to know that she and Viktor were soulmates.

She read until Harry and Ron came up, then closed the book. She, Neville, Harry, and Ron sat talking until the fire started to dwindle. None of them had realized it had gotten so late.

"I guess we should go to bed," Neville said.

"You're probably right," Ron said.

"We should do this again soon," Harry added. "I haven't had this much fun in ages."

"Me neither," Hermione said. She stretched her back. "But I really should get to bed."

They bid each other goodnight, and headed up to their dorms. Hermione felt sad to leave, but she knew that sleep was a good idea. Especially after the day she had had.

She changed into her pajamas, noticing the writing on her wrist.

 _Goodnight my darling._

Goodnight Viktor she whispered as sleep claimed her.

* * *

A/N: Yay for more Neville. I seriously love him. He's so fun to play with. And I don't know, but this may take off into uncharted territory here with Warington as the Hogwarts champion. If there are qualms with this idea, please let me know. And I do think the idea of having Harry and Ron as platonic soulmates is perfect. Because your soulmate might not be your significant other.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione pushed her food around her plate. She knew that she should eat something. And shepherd's pie wasn't exactly something she found distasteful. But she couldn't find it in her heart to eat.

She kept glancing at Viktor, and then at the cup. She couldn't decide if she wanted him to be champion or not. Either way he would still have a gaggle of girls following him at all times.

Across the hall, Viktor was trying to eat, in spite of the knot in his stomach. He had plenty of experience with that, being a professional quiditch player and all. But he couldn't quell the nerves he felt.

Part of his mind reasoned that they weren't his own. He was confident in his chances at being chosen, and he'd accepted the risks when he placed his name in the goblet. But the nerves were eating him up, and he couldn't figure out why.

He looked at his hand. The back of it said **Potions Essay due Thursday.** He knew that it was Hermione's way of reminding her to turn in the essay that she had almost certainly already finished. He also knew that it was a subtle way of her telling him that she would be in the library every afternoon until that point.

He looked at her as she pushed food around her plate, her fork never leaving the surface of the dish. She didn't even try to get involved in the conversation with her friends. Something was wrong.

As he swallowed the last of his food, he realized that she was nervous. And it was her worry that he was feeling. He wasn't sure how, or why, but that had to be it.

 **Stay calm,** he wrote in English. His letters were small, and just under her writing. He hoped they would be unnoticeable to the others at her table.

Hermione looked at the small letters on her hand and smiled softly. Viktor must have sensed that she was nervous, and decided to do something. That was very much like him.

She shot a small glance at him, hoping the thankful expression on her face was seen in the two seconds she dared look at him. From the short nod he gave, she guessed it was.

Dinner ended far too soon for her tastes. Not that she had managed to eat much of anything anyways. Her stomach was still in knots, even though she had managed to calm down a bit from the near hysteria that she had been experiencing.

The rest of the students seemed to be watching in awe as the tables were once again pushed to the edges of the room and the goblet of fire wheeled into the center of the floor. She tried to be happy for whoever wound up competing. After all, they had chosen to do so.

She managed to keep calm as Miss Fleur Delacour was named the champion of Beauxbatons. Her heart fluttered a little as Viktor was named Durmstrang's champion. And she felt slightly relieved when Cassius Warrington's name was called for Hogwarts.

She thought that maybe, just maybe, things would be alright that year. Sure, she would spend most of it crazy worried for Viktor. And she would still have to keep Harry and Ron out of trouble. But she might be able to relax just a tad.

And then the goblet flared and flamed, just as it had thrice before. Hermione's frail spirits dropped like a rock.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore called.

Harry walked out, and Hermione tried to stay as composed as possible. There went all hope for a semi-normal year. And while she hadn't exactly been at ease with Viktor competing, he could handle himself. Harry, not so much.

"It'll be okay," Neville whispered to her. "Harry's gotten out of worse scrapes than this."

"By the skin of his teeth and some weird luck," she hissed back.

"Yeah, Harry has the best luck," Neville agreed.

"I'd say," Ron fumed. "How'd he even get his name into the goblet?"

"Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes openly at his antics. "Why on earth would Harry want to enter a tournament like this? People have died."

"Why wouldn't he?" Ron countered. "Eternal glory and all that."

Hermione slammed books onto the table as she gathered her stuff up. She really didn't need that kind of talk from Ron. He was supposed to be Harry's best friend. He was supposed to be her best friend.

"I'm going to the library. I want to see if I can find some way to get Harry out of this mess. Come find me when you're done thinking the worst of your friends." She stormed away.

When she got to the library, she allowed herself to calm down a bit. It helped to be angry. If she was angry at Ron, she couldn't worry that Harry was going to die. But there, standing in the empty space, she felt like she was going to cry.

She retreated to one of the lesser visited corner tables, and dug through her bag until she found a pen.

 _Please tell me you're okay,_ she wrote.

 _I'm fine. What's wrong?_

 _Harry, my friend with the dark hair and glasses, was chosen as a champion. I'm not even sure how that works, but it's got me worried. Of course, I was worried about you, but you're older and better able to handle things like this._

 _Hermione, breathe._

She looked at her arm and realized that she had been ranting. Taking several deep breaths, she focused on happier things. The feeling of parchment under her fingers. The smell of freshly mown grass. The tingling sensation she loved after brushing her teeth.

 _Sorry. I guess I got a bit carried away._

She could feel his smile. _Darling, that's one of the reasons you have me._

 _Shameless flirt._

 _Only with you._

She smiled at him. _If you keep talking like that I might believe you._

 _I hope you believe me. Because I am being very honest._

 _I think you might have to tell me that in person,_ she teased. She knew she was being silly, but it was better than the alternative.

 _I would meet you in the library, since I assume you are there, but I would be followed by Hogwarts girls._

She knew he was right. He had been followed by girls since he had gotten there. And it was only getting worse.

She had hoped that in a few weeks, the novelty of having Viktor Krum at Hogwarts would wear off. After all Harry Potter, the boy who lived, went to school there. And no one followed him around giggling like maniacs.

 _I know. I wish I could see you though._

She desperately wanted to see him. To be able to say to his face that she hoped he would be alright. To be able to hug him.

 _Me too. So come out to the courtyard._

She looked up at the clock, and decided there was enough time before curfew that she could do such a thing. She packed her stuff up, pulling out her scarf and gloves.

 _I'll be there as soon as I can._

 _Hurry Darling,_ was written on her wrist as she hurried down the stairs. She caught a glimpse of it as she pulled her gloves on, smiling all the way down to the courtyard.

She looked around the dark landscape, watching for any sort of movement. She spotted a figure from the direction of the lake, and almost ran to him.

"Hello," she said breathlessly.

"Miss Granger," he kissed her hand.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, reassuring herself that he was real, and safe. She needed both of those things more than she wanted to admit. But being there, feeling his all too real presence, was more than enough for her.

"I'm so proud of you," she said when she finally let go of his neck. She still held onto one of his hands, unwilling to break contact.

"Vhat for? I haven't done anything yet." He was obviously confused.

"You got chosen as champion," she said. "Isn't that enough of a reason for me to be proud of you?"

He smiled, and she felt it more than saw it. "I vas vorried about that. I thought you vere vorried about me being chosen. And that you vouldn't be happy."

"I am worried. But that's just because I don't want anything to happen to you. But I can worry about you while being proud of you," she said.

"Good." Viktor squeezed her hand. "I vill do best to not get hurt."

"Thank you." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, feeling strangely brave in his presence.

They had to part far sooner than either of them would have liked. But they headed back to where they would be sleeping, each of them looking over their shoulders ever so often.

Eventually Hermione reached Gryffindor tower. She climbed through the portrait hole, and found herself in front of her friends.

"Where were you?" Ron asked.

"I went on a walk outside to clear my head," she said. It wasn't a lie. She had gone on a walk. And it had helped her clear out the thoughts invading her mind.

"Alright." Ron headed off to bed. He wasn't in a particularly good mood, and he really didn't want to be around Harry, who was talking to Neville.

"Hey Hermione," Harry said. "You find anything?"

"Not yet," she confessed. "But panicking doesn't really help."

"Thanks for trying," he said. "And I know that you'll help me prepare for the tasks."

"Of course," she said. "Won't we Neville."

"That's what I told him."

They burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. It felt good to laugh as a group. The whole school might be against them, but they were together. And together it didn't feel as hopeless.


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione was frustrated. Ron still hadn't spoken to Harry, in spite of her prodding. And Harry had been so preoccupied with the tournament, though that wasn't his fault, that he hadn't had the time to patch things up with Ron yet.

Malfoy had come up with badges that dissed Harry. Most of the students from Slytherin were just wearing badges supporting Warrington, but it was still frustrating.

She was glad that Neville at least seemed sensible. He had helped Harry with a few homework assignments in herbology, knowing more about plants than just about anyone else their year. And he was trying to patch things up between Harry and Ron in a similar manner to Hermione.

The boys had decided that not speaking to each other was the easiest course of action. So Hermione and Neville had wound up spending most evenings talking, reading, doing homework, and playing exploding snap. Harry and Ron hadn't even asked for her help with homework.

As odd as it was, Hermione wasn't going to complain about it. It had given her more time for her own interests. She'd had time to work on her Bulgarian, time to talk to Viktor, and time to read with Neville.

She'd read through just about all of the book Neville had lent her. She had understood probably about half of it, but she had made very detailed notes and looked up several references in the library.

She was glad to find that just about everyone had a soulmate. But not everyone's was romantic. And the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that Harry and Ron were platonic soulmates. If they could just talk things out.

She heaved a sigh as she sat on one of the couches, rereading her essay for charms for the fifth time. She was almost ready to turn it in, but she wanted to make sure that her ideas were clear and concise.

"Boys getting to you?" Neville asked.

"How can you tell?" She didn't really mind, but she wanted to know how he managed to know what was on her mind.

He laughed. "Hermione, I've known you for a little over three years. If I couldn't tell when you were frustrated with Harry and Ron, I would be blind."

A small smile crept over her face. "I think the boys must be blind then."

"Not blind. They just don't want to admit when they're annoying you."

She thought about it for a moment, nodded, and went back to proofreading her essay. She finished fairly quickly, and rolled it up, ready to turn in when she next ran into Professor Flitwick.

"So is there anything you wanted to talk about?" she asked Neville.

"Actually yes." He fidgeted a little in his seat, a sure sign that he was nervous. "But it is a bit of a touchy subject."

"Neville," she looked him straight in the eye, "we're friends. You shouldn't be afraid to talk to me. Even if it is something you wouldn't want shared by the whole school."

"It's not about me, it's about you."

She paused. She wasn't sure exactly what he knew, but she was sure that whatever it was, he wouldn't be so nervous unless he was fairly sure that she would like to keep it quiet.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"It's the writing on your arm. Not all of it is yours."

She breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know too much; he'd just seen something he didn't understand. "You are really perceptive, you know."

He shook his head. "I just watch and listen. Most people don't expect much from me, so I get to see things."

"Oh Neville…" Hermione felt bad. She knew that people constantly underestimated him. It certainly didn't help him any that he sometimes had a hard time mastering spells. Or that Professor Snape scared him so much that he couldn't concentrate in potions.

"I don't mind," he said. "But I do like to know things. And you haven't explained the writing at all."

"It's difficult to explain."

"Then let's start at the beginning. When did you notice it?"

"I think it was second year. Or third. Definitely not first year. But as I put my assignments on my hand to remind me to do them, I sometimes got weird little marks around them. I couldn't figure it out, but one day it hit me that it wasn't English.

"And then I tried to figure out what language was appearing on my arm. It took me forever to learn that it was Bulgarian, and even longer to learn how to read and write the language passably. I still can't speak it well at all, but that's another story."

"Wait," Neville interrupted. "Bulgarian?"

"I'm getting to that. Where was I?"

"Learning Bulgarian," Neville reminded her.

"Right. It took me a while to learn, but I was finally confident that I could hold a conversation this summer. So I asked the person on the other side if they would be going to the world cup. And things sort of evolved from there."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Neville was processing everything she had said. And Hermione was feeling a bit of relief at sharing her secret.

"So who is he?" Neville asked.

"Who said it was a he?"

"You wouldn't be so secretive if it was just a friend. So, he, must be something special."

"Alright, but you can't tell anyone."

Neville looked at her like she was crazy. "Who would believe me if I tried? Not that I would."

"More people than you think," she said. "But I trust you."

There was an awkward pause as Hermione worked up the courage to tell one of her good friends that she was talking to Viktor Krum. Seeker extraordinaire and triwizard champion.

"So…" Neville prompted.

"Viktor Krum."

"What about Viktor Krum?" Harry asked as he climbed through the portrait hole.

"I was just asking Hermione here who she thought would win the tournament," Neville covered for her.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Harry muttered.

"Hey! Just because I'm counting on you not getting killed, doesn't mean that I think you'll win. And the other champions almost certainly know things I haven't learnt yet."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I was teasing you Hermione."

She stuck her tongue out at him, and they slowly devolved into laughter. It was nice. If Ron had been there laughing along with them, it would have been perfect, but he was sulking somewhere.

* * *

Hermione read the Daily Prophet fuming. How someone could twist Harry around to be this miserable, helpless thing, was beyond her. And there was little to no mention of the other contestants. That seemed highly unfair.

"But Cassius, he's actually not that bad," Harry finished saying to Neville.

Hermione tossed the paper onto the table, not caring if it splashed something or got smeared in syrup. Her anger at that Skeeter woman was boiling, and would explode if she didn't manage to calm herself down soon.

"I wouldn't have expected that," Neville said. "I don't know the guy, but he's the kind who you don't want to mess with."

"I wouldn't mess with him," Harry said, "but he's not bad. He just likes to be left alone for the most part."

Hermione crunched her toast in her mouth, still listening to Harry and Neville. She walked out of the great hall when she saw Viktor pull a quill out of his bag. To any of the Hogwarts students, it would look like notes on his arm.

 _Darling, is everything alright?_ Was written a few moments later.

 _Did you read the trash Rita Skeeter wrote in the Prophet this morning? I want to punch something._

She was halfway ready to storm back into the great hall, grab the paper, and tear it to shreds. It wouldn't solve anything, but it would make her feel better, if only a little.

 _Don't. It will just make people try to make you angry again in the future. I know from experience._

She took a deep breath, listening to his advice. She really didn't want anyone trying to get under her skin. But she wasn't sure what to do.

 _So how did you feel about the article? Any qualms about you being glossed over? Mr. youngest seeker on a professional team._

 _I do not need accolades. I was chosen, that's enough for me. But I guess I would like to win._

 _And, if you don't?_

 _Well, I got to meet a pretty girl. I think that should be a good enough consolation prize._

Hermione couldn't wipe the grin off her face. She knew it was silly. She couldn't even understand how a boy, even one like Viktor, could make her feel so happy.

 _I certainly hope so. But I think maybe I got the better deal. I got to meet the most amazing boy, and he's a champion in the triwizard tournament. Even if he does scowl more than I would like._

 _I only scowl because people treat me as though I'm some prize. They follow me around. They take pictures. It can be annoying._

 _I know._

Hermione stared at her arm, trying to think of something more to say. Something that would lighten the mood to where it had been. She couldn't think of anything.

 _I hope to see you later today,_ Viktor wrote.

 _I'll be in the library._


	12. Chapter 12

The day of the first task rolled around and found Hermione awake, nursing a mug of tea several hours before anyone should reasonably be awake. She couldn't sleep at all the night before, knowing that in a relatively short time, the champions would be facing dragons.

Five cups of tea later, Neville and Harry sat down with her.

"Nervous?" Neville asked.

"More worried," she mumbled into her mug. "I'm not the one who has to fight a dragon."

"Don't remind me," Harry groaned. He leaned against the table, still exhausted, even though he had managed to sleep more than Hermione.

Within the next half an hour, the rest of the champions stumbled in to have breakfast. They all looked a tad nervous, but appeared more rested than Harry.

Fleur ate a light breakfast, mostly nibbling delicately at her toast. Cassius ate the same thing he ate every morning, his face impassive. It was impossible to tell what was going on in his mind. Probably some strategizing.

As for Viktor, he looked as if there was nothing wrong with him. He did have the advantage of having gone into stressful situations before. This was probably about as exciting as the world cup had been, though it was probably a tad more deadly.

Neville managed to lighten the mood tremendously. He chatted while he ate eggs toast and bacon. He even chewed with his mouth closed, in spite of how much he talked. With a bit of time, he had managed to siphon some of the tension around Harry and Hermione away.

By the time that the rest of the students started to trickle in, he'd managed to engage Hermione in a semi serious debate about the possibility of dragons who breathed fire. Harry laughed at the absurdity of everything. It felt good to be able to laugh rather than fear what was going to happen far too soon.

Before long, the champions went out to the arena. Or rather, they went out to the tent just outside the arena that had been set up for them. The rest of the student population ate breakfast, and wandered down there at a much more leisurely pace.

"So, what do you think?" Hermione asked Neville as they walked down the hill to the stadium.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I know Harry has something planned. It should be good."

"I'm not really worried about Harry. I don't know exactly what he has planned, but I've helped him with his spell casting. I'm confident that he won't die," she said. "I'm nervous about Viktor."

Neville nodded his head. They were fairly alone, still being one of the earlier people to walk away from breakfast. But he didn't want to say anything incriminating.

"I'm not being crazy, am I?" she asked.

Neville thought for a minute. "I doubt it. I think it would be hard to not worry about someone you love."

Hermione looked around furtively, before smacking him lightly. "You did not just say that out loud."

Neville rubbed his arm, acting more hurt than he was. "You didn't have to hit me."

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't hit you that hard. But you need to be careful."

"You are going to have to loosen up a bit. Most people don't listen to us. And people are eventually going to find out. You can't keep something so big a secret forever. Not that I think you want to."

She mulled over his words as they wandered closer to the champions' tent. She looked at Neville sheepishly, before he nodded at her.

She stood next to the wall of the tent, and then heard Harry muttering to himself.

"Harry," she said.

"Hermione?"

"Yes. Now just remember, the key is to keep calm," she said more to herself than to him, "then all you have to do…"

"Is battle a dragon," he finished for her.

She practically jumped through the opening of the tent wall, hugging Harry. She desperately needed comforting, and she wasn't sure she could get it from Viktor. She heard a click and felt the flash of a camera.

"Well. Well. Well. Young love," Rita Skeeter said.

"You are not velcome here," Viktor said. He stood as tall and menacingly as he could manage. "This tent is for champions. And friends." He looked over at Hermione, a wave of relief flooding over him.

"Well, we got what we came for," Rita said as she skedaddled out of the tent.

Hermione shot him a grateful look before turning back to Harry for a moment. "Promise me you'll be safe," she said.

"Hermione, I've got a plan. I'll be fine. Promise."

She walked over next to Viktor. "Are you going to be fine?" she asked in a hushed voice.

She was standing as if watching everyone else. She tried to act casual, even though every instinct in her was crying out for her to embrace him.

"I also haff plan. I vill be fine. If you are vatching, I vill be more than fine." He gave her a small smile.

"I'm counting on it," she said. "I've got a bit of a bet on you Mr. Krum."

"Champions gather round," Dumbledore said as he breezed through the door of the tent.

Hermione was swept up in the gathering and drawn into the circle.

"Miss Granger, what are you doing?"

She blushed and looked slightly flustered. "Nothing. I'll just go."

She walked out of the tent, and into the stands. Neville was waiting for her, saving her a seat with Ron. Ron was still grumpy, but it was better to have friends for spectator sports. And it helped that Harry wouldn't be sitting with them.

"Hey Hermione," George said.

"Want to place a bet?" Fred finished.

"Sure. Five galleons on Viktor Krum." She handed them the money.

"Ohh," they said together.

"Not many people are betting on him," Fred said.

"Most of those are from Durmstrang," George added.

"But even half of those are betting on Harry," they finished together.

"Do you know something we don't?" Fred asked.

"I guess I was thinking that I'd go with the champion who's had the most experience competing in the public eye," she said as nonchalantly as she could manage.

The tournament started with a cannon blast. Cassius Warrington was the first champion, and he did fairly well. He managed to get his egg away from the dragon with only slight singing of his robe and hair.

Fleur did fairly well. She had a sear on her arm that looked like it might take weeks to heal, but she had done fairly spectacularly otherwise.

Viktor's actions gave her the most anxiety. He had practically barged in there, and taken the egg, without putting up much of a fight. Sure, he had stunned the dragon in the eyes. But other than that, it was his physical prowess that was utilized the most.

But, for all the worry that he gave Hermione, he emerged without the flames ever touching him. No singed hair. No smoking robes. No wounds for her to fret over. Just frazzled nerves.

Harry's flight gave her a bit of a start as well. But he evaded the dragon so well, and gave such a performance, that she couldn't be mad at him for long. And it was less stressful to watch than Viktor's had been. But she guessed that part of it had to do with how she felt about each of the boys.

She was glad when it was all over and she could rush to the med tent with the excuse of looking in on Harry.

Fleur was in a private section, moaning over the pain of her burn. Cassius was sitting on a table, right inside the tent.

"So you and Krum?" he asked Hermione.

She blanched. She hadn't thought that she was so obvious.

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't tell anyone. I understand how hard it is to keep people out of your love life."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I'll try to keep everyone out of yours," she said.

He gave a short nod and she hurried over to Viktor.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, trying to be gentle.

"Not bad. Better than the others. I told you I vas prepared." He smiled up at her, a little afraid of what she might say or do.

She hugged him tightly, almost squeezing the air out of him. "You had me so worried. What were you thinking?"

"I vas thinking of how to not be seen, or heard by dragon. Also, not be smelled. But I guess I did not think to explain to pretty vitch how I vas planning on doing things."

"You most certainly did not." She stroked his hair softly. "Please don't scare me like that again."

"I von't. Promise."

She believed him.

Harry came in a few minutes later, and Hermione fussed over him, all the while sending short glances at Viktor. If anyone had been watching, it would have been obvious where her mind was. Luckily, on a certain Slytherin caught on, one who had already promised to keep things quiet.


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione sat down by the fire reading. She'd gotten permission from Professor Sinestra to get some books out from the restricted section. And she was going over the section about the binding runes typically used in ancient marriages.

She'd copied them down to take with her to her next lesson. There were a few minutes where she could ask the professor what they meant.

"Miss?" a small high pitched startled voice said.

She lowered the book. "Winky?"

The house elf shook its head. "Dobby miss."

Dobby. The name sounded familiar. She tried to remember, and then it came to her. Dobby was the house elf that had used to work for the Malfoys and then had been freed at the end of second year thanks to Harry.

"Did you want to see Harry?" she asked.

Dobby shook his head, his ears flapping slightly. "No miss. Dobby was trying to do his job. But miss is in the common room rather late."

She looked at the clock, realizing that it was late, later than she had intended to stay up. But her mind was full of questions and it wasn't quieting down.

"Dobby, Winky mentioned soulmates to me. What can you tell me about them?"

Dobby scratched his head for a second. "Which kind?"

"There's more than one kind?"

"Of course. Just as there's different kinds of relationships," Dobby said as if it was common knowledge. "There's the romantic soulmates, which was probably what Winky was talking about. And Winky would only say that if you had one."

Hermione pulled her left sleeve up a bit, revealing the half washed away remnants of a conversation between her and Viktor.

"Ohh, miss does have a soulmate!" Dobby was excited. "Dobby hasn't seen this for some time."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Not everyone has this kind of soulmate," Dobby explained. "Everyone has the other kind, or can. Because friend soulmates, those are grown. They bloom like flowers, after you meet each other and plant the seed. Harry Potter and the red haired boy are a great example."

"I knew it," she whispered.

"But this, this is special. It is ancient magic, the kind that was used to create house elves." He grew solemn for a moment, wanting to say more. But he kept quiet.

"You can say more," Hermione said.

"No," Dobby whispered. "Dobby fears he has said too much already."

Hermione picked her book back up from where it had fallen to the floor. "Thank you anyways," she said.

She walked up to her dorm where everyone was asleep except for Pavarti, who was sorting papers and writing a last minute essay.

"What are you up to?" Hermione asked.

"I totally forgot this essay, and it's due tomorrow. At least Padma will proofread it for me, since I'm not sure I can string two sentences together tonight." She covered a yawn with her hand.

"What class is it for?" Hermione asked. "I might be able to help."

"Arithmancy. I know we normally only have worksheets, but I forgot to do a few of them, and so I have this essay to do on the theory," she answered.

Hermione set her book on her bed, and sat down on the floor. Looking at the essay, she could already find a few flaws. But she ignored the grammatical errors, and focused on the points that Pavarti was trying to explain.

It was easy to find where she had derailed. Hermione carefully noted out what points would be the most advantageous to her, and left them on the floor. Pavarti scribbled away as Hermione got herself ready for bed and tucked under her covers, book ready to be read.

She fell asleep reading. At least it was in her bed, where she wouldn't get a crick in her neck the next morning.

* * *

Padma Patail was sitting at the Gryffindor table the next morning, carefully checking an essay as she ate breakfast. Somehow she managed to listen to Neville, and make insightful comments, at the same time.

Hermione sat down next to Neville, looking at the Ravenclaw. She was wide awake, probably having gone to sleep early. And she managed to look so similar to her sister that if it weren't for the blue accents on her robes, Hermione would have likely gotten them confused.

"Good morning Hermione," Neville said.

"Morning," Hermione mumbled, never fully awake before a mug of tea.

"This has your name written all over it," Padma mumbled. "Pavarti never writes this well when she procrastinates. Part of the reason I try to get her to finish her homework earlier."

"I've tried doing the same with Ron, but it never happens. So I just help him outline and proofread. At least then he shouldn't fail," Hermione said.

"That's a good point. I guess I can see how we wound up in different houses."

"You and Pavarti?"

"No," Padma said. "We always were going to be different. But you and I. We're a lot more similar than I realized, but you care about your friends in a different way."

Hermione thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head. "I guess so." She finished her tea and started dishing herself some eggs and toast.

She had taken a few bites of her breakfast when Padma let out a gasp.

"Is that the marriage runes book?"

Hermione looked at the book which she had laid on the table. "Yes," she said softly. She really didn't want the rest of her house to know that she was interested in such a thing.

"I've been fascinated about those since Professor Sinestra mentioned them in class. How ever did you manage to get your hands on a copy?"

"It's pretty easy to get a book from the restricted section if you ask the right questions," Hermione said. "And reading it, it's fairly easy to understand why it's in the restricted section."

"Oh I don't doubt that," Padma said. "After all, there are tons of girls who would try to bind certain boys to them. But I think there has to be intent on both sides for such a thing to work."

Hermione nodded. "Intent, and honest intent. So no love potioning a guy. But that wouldn't stop half of the girls from trying."

"But hopefully, the guys are smart enough to notice," Neville added.

Both of the girls had to agree with him. If a guy was desirable enough to attempt such a thing, he would notice that something was off when the potion was administered.

From there the conversation devolved until they were laughing over nonsense. And it was time to go to class. Potions for the Gryffindors, and herbology for Padma.

The day passed without incident. Ron had even made up with Harry, admitting that whoever put his name in the goblet was trying to get him killed.

Hermione was glad that they were friends again. But after the previous night, she was fairly certain that after Ron was done being angry they would have made up. There wasn't a lot that could be done to irreparably break their friendship.

When classes were done for the day, she headed to the library. She wanted a place to read, and she was fairly sure that the strict rules Madame Pince enforced would keep the space quiet. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Viktor Krum, international quiditch superstar and leader in the triwizard tournament, was sitting at a table working on homework. Just a few tables away, a group of girls sat giggling and talking in what could hardly be described as whispers.

She glared daggers at them, but found a quiet enough spot that she shouldn't be disturbed.

 _I really hate your fan club,_ she wrote to Viktor.

 _Same here, but you get used to it._

She smiled a tad, and cracked open her book. Eager to finish, she managed to read the rest in just under an hour.

She turned the book into Madame Pince, and checked out another book on runes. It wasn't in the restricted section since it didn't deal with any practical uses of the runes. Just theory. But it was still on marriage runes.

She walked up to the Gryffindor common room. Settling down on the couch she cracked open the new book, and found writing on her arm as her sleeve slid up.

 _Is that book what I think it is?_

She looked at the book, and back at her arm. _And since when did what I read interest you?_

 _Only when I think I have a book that will better answer any questions you might have._

She looked at the book in front of her. It looked like there would be a few questions left unanswered at the end of the pages. But she wasn't sure that she could find the answers to the questions she had in any book.

 _Is there a way to get this book?_ she asked.

 _If you can meet me in the courtyard, I can give it to you. It's written in Bulgarian, but I doubt that will be a problem for you._

She looked at the clock, and decided that there wouldn't be too many people outside. Although, most people wouldn't be outside in the middle of November anyways. She pulled a cloak on over her sweater, and headed down the stairs.

She bumped into Lavender and Pavarti.

"Where are you going?" Lavender asked.

"Outside."

They looked at her like she was crazy. And she might have been. But she hurried down the steps, her thoughts of information, and a certain hunky Bulgarian, overriding her worry of being crazy.

She reached the courtyard, and practically spun around. It was nice to feel the warm sun on her face, even if the air was bitter cold. The juxtaposition of the two, made her smile, even as she was certain her cheeks were growing pink.

"Hello," Viktor said. "I haff the book for you."

He handed her a volume that was about twice the size of the book she had just finished.

"Thank you," she said. She opened the book, vaguely aware that he was watching her. But she managed to read through the first page without looking at him. But she had to turn the page, and she wound up looking at Viktor.

He had been watching her with such intensity, that it was hard to meet his gaze. But she wasn't the kind of person to back down, particularly when she liked looking at him as much as he enjoyed looking at her. And he looked like he had something to ask her.

"Yes?" she said.

"Her-moninny," he said. "I haff a question."

"I have an answer," she said facitiously. "We'll see if they match." She giggled a tad.

"Okay. There is going to be a ball, the yule ball. And I vas vondering, vould you Miss Granger, accompany me?"

Her answer of "yes" bubbled out of her mouth without a second thought.

* * *

A/N: Apparently I've been spelling "Quidditch" wrong. I'll fix that at some point. And I hope this chapter clears up some questions.


	14. Chapter 14

The yule ball had been announced at dinner a few days earlier, even though the champions had a few days advanced notice, and everyone was scrambling for dates. Hermione was glad that she'd already been asked. Viktor hadn't wasted any time.

Harry and Ron had been discussing potential dates. Harry was interested in Cho Chang. She was the pretty seeker from Ravenclaw, and they had met a few times. She had even supported him from the beginning of the tournament.

Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to get her alone to ask her. He just hoped that he would have a chance before someone else asked her. She was very pretty, and somewhat popular.

Ron was having much less luck in selecting someone he deemed acceptable to go with. He managed to find a flaw in every girl that was suggested. Some were simply too tall, too short, or had some flaw that wasn't apparent.

Neville had just asked Hermione who she thought would be someone good to ask. She had immediately answered that he should ask Padma. She was sure that she would say yes, and they would have a good time together.

In the few days that Padma and Hermione had spent together, they had grown rather close. She really wanted Padma to have a good time at the ball.

"Hermione," Ron said, "you're a girl."

"Glad you noticed," she said. "I've been a girl for quite some time now. Since I was born." The annoyance in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Neville and Harry.

"So," Ron said. "You can go with one of us."

"No."

She scribbled notes down on her essay, trying to ignore the red head sitting across from her. He wasn't bad, just oblivious. And she really didn't want to go with him when she was just his friend and he hadn't found anyone better.

"Come on, Mione. We'll be the only three guys without dates."

"First, Neville has a date. Second, I can't. Someone already asked me." She folded up her work and stood up. "And I said yes."

She strode out of the great hall, and wound up walking into someone.

"I'm so sorry," she said.

"Is no problem," a low husky voice said.

Hermione looked up and found Viktor was the person she had bumped into. A smile grew on her face.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Is a good day, I think. Is always a good day vhen I valk into a beautiful vitch," he said.

She could feel the blush spreading up her cheeks. "I think it's a good day when I bump into a strong handsome wizard."

"So vhere are you going?"

"The library. Harry and Ron were driving me nuts with all their talking about the ball. And I really need to work on this transfiguration essay," she said.

"Vhy not go outside?" Viktor asked. "Is a nice day outside."

"Viktor. It's early December. It's fairly chilly. The frost hasn't melted."

They looked out at the frosted grounds. Some students had braved the cold, but most were huddled inside. Those that looked comfortable were the Durmstrang students.

"I forget. Is much colder at Durmstrang."

He looked a little sheepish at the idea of making Hermione cold.

"It's alright. If you want to wait, I can go get my scarf and cloak. I don't want to go outside without them," she said.

He seemed to have an idea because he pulled a scarf out of his bag, and wrapped it around her neck. "I haff an extra scarf. And you can use my cloak. Like I said, Durmstrang is much colder than Hogvarts."

She took the offered cloak, grateful for its fur as they walked out by the lake. Things were calm and peaceful, even if it was a tad cold. Hermione knew her cheeks were bright pink, but she was glad she could blame it on the temperature.

"So vhat is essay about?" Viktor asked.

"It's about transfiguring things from nothing. And banishing them. It's a hard process, and I know it's more advanced than the rest of my class. But I've been trying to keep myself occupied and challenged, and Professor McGonagall said that this would be a good way to do it," she rambled.

"Is a good thing," he said. "You need to advance in the subject as much as you can. Vhen you get bored, you get, vhat is vord? Not lazy."

"Complacent?"

"Sounds right. But it can lead to bad things happening." He looked at her with an intensity that caused her blush to deepen. "I don't vant anything bad to happen to you."

She looked down at the ground. "Then you know how I feel about you being in the tournament," she mumbled.

He gave a small chuckle at that. He hadn't considered how worried you could get. Even if he was fairly prepared for the second task.

"Let's vork and finish essay," he said. "Then ve can talk about big things like the tournament."

She smiled, pulled out a quill, and got to work. With Viktor's help, and no disruptions from the boys, she managed to pull together an essay that surpassed what she had set as her minimum requirement.

"How did you get to be so smart?" Viktor asked as he looked over her shoulder.

"I work really hard," she shrugged. "Speaking of which, would you mind helping me practice my Bulgarian? I've been working on it, but it's hard when you're not there to correct me."

They spent another hour working on pronunciation. Hermione even made progress and could say a few simple phrases. It wasn't quite enough to hold even the most basic of conversations, but it was a start. And by the time she started to shiver, in spite of the warm scarf and cloak, she was satisfied with her progress for the day.

She handed him his cloak and scarf back once they were once again in the warm interior of the castle. Hermione was grateful for heating charms, knowing that an edifice as large and as old as Hogwarts would be insanely difficult to install central heating in.

"Thank you. I had a wonderful afternoon."

"I also had a vonderful time." Viktor kissed her hand. "Until next time my darling."

"Until next time," she whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

Neville twirled Hermione around the floor of the Gryffindor common room. They were practicing the waltz for the yule ball. Neville was quite the dancer, and Hermione was simply trying to avoid tripping over her own feet.

They managed to flub up each step, mostly due to Hermione's clumsiness. Laughter punctuated each flawed practice step. But they continued on.

Eventually they managed to make it through the entire dance, without too much trouble. Harry, sitting on the couch watching them, clapped as they bowed for dramatic effect. He still wasn't sure who she was going with, but he had his suspicions.

Ron, sitting next to Harry, sulked miserably. His attempt to ask Fleur Delacour to the ball had failed majorly when his nerves had gotten the best of him and he had started shouting. It turned out that even one eighth Veelas were terrifying when they were angry.

"Good job guys," Harry said. "You'll do great at the ball."

"Glad you're going together," Ron snapped.

Hermione and Neville looked at each other, and broke down laughing. It was so funny to them, that they almost collapsed onto the floor.

"You. Think," Hermione wheezed.

"We're going," Neville said.

"Together," they finished together.

They did collapse onto the ground. The idea that they would go together was so preposterous to them that they couldn't contain the hysteria.

"Neville's going with Padma Patil," Hermione said when she could breathe again.

"And who are you going with?" Ron asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," she said.

She got up off the floor, and dusted herself off, before sitting down on one of the couches across the room. She ignored her red haired friend as best she could. He was one of her best friends, but he could make her so angry.

"Don't push it," she heard Harry tell Ron. "She's still mad at you for your comment yesterday."

Harry walked over to her, and sat down. "I think I know who you're going with," he said.

Hermione steeled her nerves. "What makes you think that?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Just that I think that was the opening dance," he said. "McGonagall has had me practicing it since the ball was announced. Even if I haven't managed to ask Cho yet. Not that she would absolutely say yes."

"Come on," Hermine said.

She stood up and walked out of the tower and over to the Ravenclaw tower. She bumped into one of the younger students and asked if Padma was in the tower.

"I think so," the blonde girl said. "Do you want me to check?"

Hermione nodded and waited until the girl and Padma came out.

"Thanks Luna," Padma said. "Talk to me if your shoes go missing again."

Luna walked off, seemingly in a daze.

"Interesting girl," Hermione said.

Padma nodded. "She's very interesting. But you wouldn't expect anything less of a Lovegood. She's a rather sweet girl though."

Harry nodded.

"So we're actually here because of Harry," Hermione said. "He wants to talk to Cho Chang, but he hasn't gotten a chance to speak with her. Is there any way that he could get a meeting with her?"

"I'll see if I can find her. Do you want to come in?" She asked.

"Do I ever," Hermione said. "Lead the way."

She and Harry trailed after Padma. The Ravenclaw tower was light and airy. It was unusual for Hermione. She had expected more study, and focus, but there was laughter, art, and creativity. It was refreshing, in a way she hadn't expected.

"Hey Cho," Padma said. "You've got visitors."

Cho looked up from her conversation with a red haired girl that neither Harry nor Hermione knew. She looked at the two of them, obviously slightly confused.

"Just one visitor actually," Hermione said. "I'm here to see Padma."

She took Padma by the arm and pulled her away.

"Where are we going?" Padma whispered.

"Just somewhere where Harry won't see us. I still want to know what's going on, but he'll hate me if he sees me eavesdropping," Hermione whispered back.

They found a secluded window seat where they could still hear some stuff, but could still hear the conversation that Harry and Cho were having. It was obviously awkward and stiff. But she could hear the happiness in his voice when Cho accepted his invitation.

"I guess things are going well," she said when he came back grinning.

He gave her a look. "I know you could hear everything from here. And before you deny it, if it had been me, I would have done the same thing. So I can't be mad."

She smiled. Looking from one of her first friends, to the first female friend she had made in a while, she was incredibly happy. The year was turning out amazing for her.

"So when are you going to practice?" she teased Harry.

"This evening in one of the empty classrooms after dinner. I figure that since I'm horrible, it would be best to start now. That way we won't totally screw up the opening of the ball."

"Good idea," Padma said.

"And I have some work to do," Hermione said. "The ball isn't going to stop that. And it just adds on to my workload."

She had dance practice with Viktor in less than half an hour, and she hated being late. So she had to make some sort of excuse to go without too many people being suspicious.

"Alright," Padma said. "It was nice to see you. Even if Harry getting a date was the reason. And thanks again for setting me up with Neville. He's the most divine dancer."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Hermione said.

She and Harry walked off. Just before she was about to leave Harry to go back to their common room alone, he pulled her into an empty corridor.

"Hermione, you're going to the ball with a certain famous seeker."

She nodded. "I guess I can't really keep that from you anymore."

He grinned. "I'm not as dumb as I look. But just know that Ron's going to be mad. He thinks you're lying. And I get the feeling that he's actually been crushing on you. But he can't say that because you're his friend."

"Thanks Harry. I don't like him that way, so we would have had to cross that bridge eventually. But I am grateful that you told me." She gave him a quick hug, and then hurried off to meet Viktor.

She found him in the classroom they had agreed on, randomly flicking his wand and changing the music. He was having a hard time picking a song that was actually a waltz.

Hermione walked in. She cleared her throat loudly, so as not to startle him.

"How long haff you been there?" he asked.

"Thirty seconds," she answered. She flicked her wand and one of her favourite waltz songs came on. It was the one she and Neville had been dancing to up in the Gryffindor common room.

Viktor took her hand in his, and placed his other hand on her waist. She also took up the proper stance, and the waltz began.

Thanks to her practice with Neville, she was able to avoid making a complete fool of herself. She still stumbled on occasion, and seemed to have a hard time remembering the steps. But she didn't trip and fall, and she didn't cause Viktor to mess up. That was success in her book.

"You haff been practicing," Viktor appraised.

"With Neville Longbottom," she admitted. "He's the best dancer in my year, and he's going to the ball with Padma Patil, so there's no need to be jealous."

"I am not jealous," Viktor said. "I trust you vhen you say he is only friend."

Hermione knew that she would never accept a man who would doubt her when she said such a thing. And she was glad that Viktor would trust her, even though some of the boys she had known had gotten upset over much smaller things.

"Thank you," she whispered.

They went through the dance one more time, which went much more smoothly. But by the end, Hermione was leaning on Viktor, tired. She rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped both arms around her.

She wished they could stay like that forever.

"Vhat are you thinking?" Viktor asked.

"I was just wanting to stay here, with you, all the time," she said. She looked up at him and blushed. "It's nice."

"I also vish ve could, but I think friends haff different ideas," he said. "Also, dinner is soon."

As soon as he said it, Hermione realized that she was actually hungry. She nodded.

They left the classroom and headed down to dinner. Since they were sitting at different tables, no one really noticed that they came in together. No one, except for the people who already knew.


	16. Chapter 16

The day of the yule ball arrived in much the same way the day before had. Classes were finished. Exams had been taken. But the nerves that filled the air were different than they had been the night before.

Hermione sat at breakfast, eating in much the same way that she did every morning. Neville was beside here, talking animatedly about how nice Padma had been. Padma had managed to talk her twin into going with Ron, even though she was fairly certain it was going to be a disaster.

Since he had a date, and one that he couldn't find fault with, Ron was in a much better mood. But he was still asleep when the other three ate breakfast. Weekends, holidays, and any other excuse Ron could find to sleep in meant that he did.

"Morning," Harry said as he sat down. He wasn't much of a morning person, but he knew it was easier to get up when one stuck to the same schedule.

"Are you excited?" Hermione asked.

"About the ball? A bit. About dancing in front of everyone, not really."

"Uggh," Hermione moaned. "Don't remind me."

She leaned her head onto the table, trying to shut out images of failure from her mind. It was all too easy to imagine herself pitching headfirst to the floor.

"There's no reason to worry Hermione," Neville assured her. "Your muscles will remember what you're supposed to be doing, and everything will be fine."

"Besides," Harry added, "I'm sure your date won't let you fall."

She had to agree with that. In spite of her clumsiness, Viktor hadn't ever given her a reason to fear falling. She hadn't managed it once with him. But she supposed that practicing with Neville, who had let her fall a few times, had helped some.

Breakfast was over quickly, Ron arriving at the last minute and shoving food into his face as if there wouldn't be a tomorrow. Hermione was glad that didn't last long.

After breakfast, the four of them went up to the common room to open presents. Harry got a pair of socks from Dobby. One was green with snitches. The other was red with broomsticks. They were beautiful socks.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron all got the traditional Weasley sweaters. Neville got a much more tasteful sweater, black with cable detailing, from his gran.

There were the traditional presents from acquaintances and family. And then it was time for them to exchange gifts.

Neville had gotten Harry and Ron quidditch memorabilia. Chudley Cannons for Ron, and a few assorted teams for Harry who hadn't had the chance to pick a favourite. For Hermione, his present was a shawl that reflected the night sky from wherever the wearer was standing. It was beautiful.

Harry had gotten them sweets. Honeydukes chocolate assortment for Ron. Sugar quills for Hermione. And Neville had gotten a collection of fudge.

Ron had gotten Harry some of Fred and George's products. He gave Neville a set of potion ingredients he had found since Neville had a tendency to blow some of his up. And he gave Hermione a book on the newest charms theory.

Hermione had put a lot of effort into her presents. She had gotten Ron a signed picture of Viktor, which had probably been the easiest thing to track down. She couldn't even deny the glances that the other two boys were giving her.

Harry had gotten the complete history of the triwizard tournament, and a compilation of notes that she thought would help him through the next semester. He was going to be so busy, and she wanted to ease some of that burden.

Neville had been the hardest person on her list to pick a gift for. She had thought about getting him some nice trouser socks, but that seemed like it was not quite enough for the boy who had become her friend.

She wound up getting him a couple boxes of his favourite specialty blend tea. It had been hard to find, and she hoped she had done well. Neville jumped up and hugged her when he opened it, so she guessed it wasn't too bad.

"Thank you," he said. "No one's ever gotten me this much."

She laughed, hugged him back, and they relaxed for a few hours. Eventually, she went upstairs to get her stuff. Padma was helping her get ready for the ball.

Padma had a potion that helped ease the bushiness of Hermione's hair. After application, they were able to pull her hair into a knot at the base of her head, and gently curl a few strands around her face. Hermione was in awe at the reflection in the mirror.

"Is that me?" she whispered.

"The same you that's always been there," Padma told her. "You've just been hiding under hair aggravated by the humidity."

Hermione couldn't argue with that. She pulled on her dress robes, and then sat still as Padma did her makeup.

When everything was done, Hermione felt like a vision. The robes were periwinkle, and clung to her upper body before flowing down her legs. The slim fitting sleeves and overlay were lace, in a slightly lighter colour than the rest of her robes. It was beautiful.

She could hardly recognize herself.

She also thought that Padma was stunning in a cherry red robe that had gold swirls around it. It complimented her dark skin and eyes incredibly well. And her hair was intricately braided, hanging down her neck and back in a beautiful black ribbon.

"Aren't we a couple of heartbreakers," Hermione joked.

"You are," Padma said. "I'm not so sure about me."

"You're going to make Ron cry that he didn't get the pretty twin," Hermione said. "I know you two are identical, but you look stunning."

Padma smiled. "Thanks Hermione. We should probably go. You don't want to be late."

"Not for the biggest dance of my life. I swear, when this is over the first dance at my wedding will look like a piece of cake." She shook her head softly.

They walked down to the great hall, where the ball was being held, Padma meeting Neville. Hermione saw Harry before she stepped out into the crowd.

"You look amazing," he said.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

He was dressed in bright green robes that matched his eyes. He was rather distinguished if she did say so herself.

He met Cho at the bottom of the stairs, and they got their picture taken by the photographer. Cho looked beautiful in silver, that matched Harry nicely.

She took a few steps down the stairs, and her eyes landed on Viktor. If Harry looked distinguished, then Hermione thought that Viktor looked like a god.

He was dressed sharply in a red tunic and black trousers. He had a cape on, and he actually wore a small smile. That was, until he caught sight of her.

He didn't wait at the bottom of the stairs for her, he almost ran up them and met her halfway.

"You look beautiful," he whispered to her as they descended.

"You look amazing yourself," she said back.

Around them she could hear the whispers wondering who she was. "Is that?" "It can't be." "That's Hermione Granger."

She walked into the hall with Viktor, up to the champion's table. There she was seated between Viktor and Harry. A little thing that she was immensely grateful for.

The dinner went well. She found herself talking to Viktor quite a bit, even making small comments in Bulgarian. She knew her accent was horrible, but it was amusing to see the looks on the teachers' faces.

The first dance was the opening of the ball section of the evening, and Viktor led her to the floor with the other champions. Fleur was dancing with Roger Davis, and Warrington had some girl from Hufflepuff with him.

The band struck up the waltz, and Hermione found herself gliding across the floor. She probably wasn't the most graceful dancer, but she found that she wasn't the worst. She even managed to ignore everyone else and just dance.

She enjoyed herself so thoroughly that she didn't even catch up with Ron and Harry until half of the evening was gone. Viktor had gone to get punch and she had decided that it would be a good idea to at least say hello to the boys.

"Isn't this amazing," she gushed to the boys. "Viktor's gone to get drinks."

"Oh, so it's Viktor now?" Ron snapped. "That's why you wouldn't come with me! You asked Krum!"

"Ron, calm down," Harry said.

"I'm pretty sure he asked her," Cho added.

"You think he's so cool because he's a champion! You traitor! You're fraternizing with the enemy!" Ron bellowed.

"We haven't talked about the tournament much at all. Mostly we talk about simple things. Classes, how our day has gone. If we read any good books recently." Hermione was desperately trying to keep her voice calm.

"Ron. If he asked her first, and she said yes, she couldn't have reasonably gone to the ball with you," Harry attempted to reason.

"You know he only wants one thing from you then," Ron switched tactics.

"You'd know all about that!" Hermione abandoned her composure and raised her voice. "You know, if you wanted me to come with you, you should have asked me! And not after you had eliminated just about every other girl in our year!"

"Well then, I guess it's good that I don't ever want to go to a ball with someone like you!" He stormed off, unable to control his temper.

It was probably for the best. Hermione looked like she was ready to hex Ron. And it took a lot to make Hermione that angry.

"Come dance with me," Neville coaxed her away from the situation. Padma took the opportunity to sit down and put her feet up.

She danced with Neville for a song, smiling as she accidentally stepped on his feet. But her laughter really erupted when Neville broke into a tap routine. He managed to save her from her anger with laughter.

She danced the next song with Harry. It mostly consisted of them swaying to the beat of the music so that they didn't step on each other's feet. Neither of them were particularly graceful dancers.

After that, she and Viktor sat down for a few songs. Her feet were starting to hurt, partly from the dancing and partly from her shoes. And Viktor was reluctant to leave her alone again.

Harry danced the night away with Cho. They were smiling, laughing, and talking until they disappeared into the gardens. Hermione assumed they were attempting to get some privacy snogging.

Padma and Neville danced as much as she dared. Padma had discarded her shoes, and was dancing in stockings, but it only made her seem even more beautiful as Neville led her across the dancefloor in the most graceful way anyone could move.

Hermione was even surprised to see Cassius Warrington sneak out of the great hall with Cedric Diggory. That was something she hadn't seen, or even considered.

Hermione and Viktor danced a few times, but spent most of their time watching the other people, and talking. They talked about their hopes and dreams, and what they thought could happen in the next year.

They both admitted that they wanted to keep in touch. And they had confessed, one right after the other, that they were eager to see where things might go with their relationship.

They walked through the halls, uncaring of who saw them, and cemented the fact that they were dating. And it was all too soon that they reached Gryffindor tower.

"I guess this is my stop," Hermione said. She nervously fidgeted with a lock of hair while staring at the floor.

"I don't vant to let you go," Viktor whispered.

Hermione gave him a hug. "I don't want to go. But I think sleeping in the halls would cause some problems."

He pulled away slightly, keeping a firm grip on her waist. He glanced at her lips, and Hermione slid her arms around his neck, pulling them back together.

The kiss was sweet, soft, and more wonderful than either one of them had expected. Neither wanted to pull apart, but Hermione could feel herself starting to yawn.

She broke the kiss, yawned, and then blushed profusely.

"Don't vorry," Viktor said. "There vill be plenty of time for kissing later."

She blushed even more at that comment, and turned to go into the common room. With one last glance at Viktor, she went to her dorm and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

A/N: This chapter came much faster than I had originally thought. But I have been writing more than I had originally planned as well. And it's wonderfully long. I hope you guys like it. I really don't like how Ron acted in this chapter, but he's just mad. He'll get over it faster than he got over Harry putting his name in the cup. He's just jealous of the attention his friends are getting, and wants someone to pay attention to him. Also, since he spent half the ball sulking, Pavarti did wind up dancing with anyone who asked her.


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione awoke the morning after the ball in a flurry of excitement. She was even more anxious than she had been the day before. She flew through her morning routine and rushed down to breakfast.

Neville was there, drinking tea and eating like he hadn't stayed up later than normal the night before. She was glad to see him, however. She needed to talk to someone, and she was certain that Harry and Ron would sleep till noon.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"You're up early."

She looked at him, a look of confusion on her face. "Not that early, surely."

She looked around the great hall. There weren't many people up, but that was to be expected. Last night had gone rather late, and there wouldn't be any classes until school had resumed term in January.

"Maybe not as early as you normally get here, but early when you spent the entire night dancing," he said.

She snorted. "That's rich coming from you. You were on the dance floor almost all evening. You danced with Cho, me, and even Hanna Abbot."

Neville nodded. "I still went to sleep earlier than you."

She poured herself some tea. "And you were awake before me."

"I'm always up before you," Neville said. He handed her the platter of eggs. "It really isn't much of a surprise."

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. He was right of course. But it was still silly of him to expect her to sleep in. Especially when her night had been so amazing.

Viktor walked in, sleep still in his eyes. But it looked like he'd been doing something. He was in running clothes, and his hair was wet.

Hermione gave him a smile and a small wave, before turning back to Neville. She kept sneaking glances at Viktor, and Neville eventually told her to go over and say hello.

"I couldn't," she protested. "I know we've already been seen together. But he's at the Slytherin table."

"You had best think up a better excuse, because he's coming this way."

Viktor sat down next to Hermione, and pulled her close. He planted a kiss on her cheek, before turning to grab himself some toast.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

"Better than anticipated," she said. "I kind of fell asleep as soon as I hit my bed. Not that it's a bad thing. But I was expecting to be awake for a little longer."

"It probably helped that Ron was in his dorm before she came in," Neville added.

"Red haired friend?" Viktor asked.

Hermione nodded as she sipped her tea. There was no doubt in her mind that if Ron had been in the common room they would have gotten into a shouting match. They seemed to do that a lot recently.

"Do you vant me to do something?" Viktor asked.

"Oh no." Hermione set her mug down on the table. "That would only make things worse. Ron will come around. He's just got to have some time to wrap his head around everything."

"Ron has this problem with attention," Neville filled in. "He's got five older brothers, and he feels as if he's got to live up to every expectation. So other people getting attention instead of him is a bit of a blow."

Viktor nodded. Some of his friends had felt the same way when he joined the Bulgarian quidditch team. While he didn't understand why they wanted such attention, he couldn't blame them for it.

"If you vant, I can still talk to him. Maybe, vhat is phrase, batter him up?"

"Butter him up," Hermione corrected. "And you can try."

They continued talking about lots of things. Family, friends, things they wanted to see, places they wanted to go, and things they hoped that they could do.

Breakfast ended quickly, and more than half of the students had slept through it. Those that hadn't were mostly first and second years.

After breakfast, Neville went off to the greenhouses to do some work. He had grown into a love of herbology, and Professor Sprout was thinking about taking him on as an apprentice. As it was, she was never the kind to turn down anyone who wanted to help.

Viktor and Hermione walked down by the lake. It was calm. It was freezing. But mostly it was away from the chatter of the other students.

"How did your classmates enjoy the ball?" she asked, making small talk.

"They said it vas good. But," he took her by the waist, "I think I vas the one vith the best date."

Hermione melted into his kiss, her hands running over his arms and around his neck as she stretched up on her toes. It felt like she was flying, as if she was high above the clouds. And she was pretty sure that she could breathe about as well as if she was actually flying.

When they finally pulled apart, it was because they both needed a chance to breathe. Hermione's eyese sparkled, and Viktor was having a hard time not crushing her back to him.

"Hermione," he said huskily. "I vant…" he trailed off.

"What do you want?" she asked, trying to prompt him into giving her an answer. She wasn't aware that she was the reason he was having such a hard time thinking.

"I vant you to meet my parents," he said. "They vill be visiting for the third task, and I vant you to meet them."

"Only if you agree to meet mine," Hermione said.

He pulled her as close as he dared and nodded before he sealed the agreement with a short but passionate kiss.

They spent the rest of the morning, talking, stealing kisses, and walking around. When it was time for lunch they walked into the great hall, cheeks flushed and eyes bright.

Since it was noon, a good portion of students were there, some obviously just waking up. Ron and Harry were sitting at the table, and Hermione knew she was going to have to talk to them. She kissed Viktor on the cheek, and went over to sit by them.

"How did you guys sleep?" she asked. She picked up a sandwich for herself, not feeling particularly hungry, but knowing she needed to eat.

"Not too bad," Harry said. "I stayed up for a few hours just thinking, trying to get my brain to wind down. This one here fumed way past the time I went to bed."

Ron certainly looked like he was still fuming. His face was flushed ever so slightly, and his eyebrows were knit together. But it was the way he stuffed his face and tore up his food that convinced everyone that he was still upset.

They ate in silence until Neville came over. He was covered in sweat and dirt, having just come from one of the greenhouses. He'd spent the whole morning helping Professor Sprout, and had plans to go back in the afternoon.

"How are you Neville?" Harry asked.

"Good. My muscles are going to ache tomorrow, but we'll just be right back at it again. I'm actually thinking of asking Professor Sprout if she would consider taking me on as an apprentice." Neville looked thrilled at the possibility.

"I'm so proud of you!" Hermione squealed and hugged him, not caring if she got messy.

"Thanks," he said a little awkwardly.

"So what does a herbology apprentice do?" Ron asked.

"Sort of the same things any apprentice does," Harry said. "Keep track of all the things that their master needs. Help out with big projects. And learn everything they can from their master."

Ron nodded and turned back to his food. He could feel his anger towards Hermione slipping away. It was hard to be mad when he could see how much she cared for all of them.

"Harry could totally apprentice under the Defense teacher," Hermione said. "If one managed to last for more than a year. It takes about two to three years to become a master."

"And you have to stay with the same master for the whole time?" Ron asked.

"It's part of the agreement," Harry said. "Because a lot of masters will dabble in other things. It used to be that after you got your OWLs you either went out and worked, or you found a master who would teach you a trade, and some other things. NEWTs are fairly new."

"I would have thought you would know that Ron," Neville said. "You do have a brother who was taken on for an apprenticeship in care of magical creatures."

"Charlie was too busy doing things to talk to anyone. As was Bill. And Percy was, and still is, a bit of a pompous windbag."

"And Fred and George have each other," Hermione whispered. It all of a sudden made sense why he clung to his friends like he did. And why he felt betrayed when they didn't want to spend time with him.

"Well, now you know," Harry said. "But don't worry too much. I only know because Neville was going on and on about how hard it was to get an apprenticeship."


	18. Chapter 18

Knuckles turned white as Hermione gripped the Daily Prophet in her hands. Her hair bristled with energy. Even Ron, as oblivious as he was, was a little afraid of what was going on.

"Hermione?" Neville asked. "Are you okay?"

She crumpled up the paper before casting a spell and leaving the newspaper in a smoldering heap on the table. It wasn't quite enough to express her anger, but it would have to do.

"No. I'm going to kill her." Hermione was speaking through gritted teeth, obviously doing her best not to shout.

"Kill who?" Ron asked.

"Rita Skeeter."

Harry paled. Neville shrunk a tad. Ron looked curious.

"Who's she?" he asked.

"Only the most vile creature to ever walk the earth," Hermione huffed. "I can't believe that she would write such things."

Harry grabbed a copy of the prophet from one of the other students. The three boys crowded around the paper, looking for what had made Hermione so angry.

"No!" Harry cried. "How could she have found that out?"

On the page Rita had described Hagrid as a man who was dangerous. She called him a half giant, which was true, and her hurtful words were going to get around the wizarding community. And Hagrid would have to weather the backlash.

Hermione was tearing through her notebook, trying to figure out how best to stop the woman in her tracks. She was furious, however, and that clouded her mind.

"Hermione," Ron said softly. "I know this isn't my area of expertise, but maybe you should calm down."

She took a deep breath. She didn't want to admit. She really didn't want to admit it, but she knew that he was right. She had to calm down. It wouldn't do to let herself get so angry that she couldn't do anything.

"Thanks Ron."

She gathered up her things and walked straight into Cedric Diggory. Stumbling a few steps, she dusted herself off and turned to apologize to the seventh year.

"Hello there, Granger," Diggory said. "Didn't see you there."

"Diggory, I'm sorry." She blushed. "I have a bad habit of running into people."

"Don't worry." He winked at her. "Your secret is safe with me."

Hermione let out a laugh. It was deep, silly sounding, and strangely beautiful. Cedric found himself wanting to laugh alongside her.

"Thanks. I needed a laugh. I'll see you around."

She turned to leave while Cedric found Harry and told him to put the egg underwater. Hermione shook her head. She had to be hearing things.

Hermione climbed the stairs to the library, stepping out of the way of one Luna Lovegood. She had radishes hanging from her ears and some sort of weird glasses on. Hermione couldn't understand Luna, and she guessed that was part of the reason she hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Hey Hermione," Padma said one floor up. "You off to the library?"

"Where else would I be going? We only have a week left before classes start. I have to go over my holiday homework. Where are you off to?"

"Same place as you," Padma said. "For almost the same reason. If you want, I could go over yours. But only if you go over mine."

"Deal."

They shared what looked like a conspiratorial smile. They weren't going to get in trouble. But they now both had someone they trusted to proofread their homework. They felt invincible.

In the library, Hermione finished her work first. She was reading Padma's charms essay when she felt someone looking at her. She shook her head, and focused back on the essay.

She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. After reading the same sentence for the fifth time, when nothing was wrong with it, she turned around.

Sitting there was Viktor, looking at her while he wrote or doodled absentmindedly on a piece of parchment. He caught her eye and winked at her. She blushed, looking back at the essay.

"What's going on?" Padma asked. She looked around and saw Viktor. A knowing smile formed on her face. "Ahh."

Hermione looked at her with an expression that conveyed a twinge of annoyance. "Do you really have to do that?"

"Do what?" Padma looked at her with her most innocent expression.

Hermione rolled her eyes and scoffed. But she turned her attention back to the essay in front of her.

"You know you can go talk to him," Padma said.

Hermione kept her eyes on the paper. If she looked at him, it was incredibly likely that she would cave. "I don't think that would be the best use of my time."

"Why ever not?" Padma pouted.

There was a peal of giggles from behind the shelves, and Hermione just pointed at the fangirls hiding and stalking Viktor. She really didn't like them, but she knew that there wasn't much she could do about them. And she didn't feel like getting harassed by them at that moment.

"Oh."

 _Hello darling,_ Viktor wrote.

Hermione looked at him, a mock serious expression on her face. _You need to keep from distracting me._

He winked at her and she went back to her paper. She finished quickly, gathering up her stuff.

"You're going already?" Padma asked.

"I can't think here," she said. "Too many people. And one very distracting individual."

 _Meet me down by the lake,_ she scribbled on her arm.

"Do you want me to come?" Padma asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think that will be necessary," she said. "After all, I think the fan girls might disappear soon."

"Are you…"

Hermione nodded and headed out of the room. She climbed down the stairs and headed out towards the lake. She felt the cold wind circle around her, and relished in the feeling of it.

She stared at the water for a few minutes before she heard footsteps coming toward her.

"There you are," Viktor said.

"Here I am," she said as she threw her arms around him. "How are you?"

"Am better now that fangirls are inside and I am not. And even better to be vith such a beautiful vitch." He kissed her nose.

She sat down next to him and pulled out her homework. It was much easier to work with him sitting next to her, rather than in a library where everyone was watching to see what she would do. And it helped that Viktor would point out any flaws in her work.

But once she was satisfied with her work, the conversation quickly devolved into what would have sounded like absurdity to anyone visiting.

"I'm serious," she said. "He turned purple. And that was the first instance I can remember using magic."

Viktor laughed along with her, his face slightly red. He hadn't laughed so much in a long time.

"Certainly more interesting than mine."

"I still think it's odd that being around magic all the time makes you forget that some things just aren't normal," Hermione said.

"You only say that because you think flying isn't normal." Viktor winked at her.

His first act of magic had been to levitate himself a few inches so he could reach the cookies his mother had put up high. He'd climbed up a chair and onto the countertop, but still couldn't reach. So he tried jumping. To his mother's surprise, it worked and he didn't fall or even descend the few inches back to the countertop until she pulled him to the ground.

"It isn't normal," Hermione persisted. "Broomsticks aren't supposed to fly. People aren't supposed to fly. If we were meant to fly, we would have been born with wings."

"Not all dragons have vings," Viktor said.

"You know what I mean," she said.

He smiled cheekily. The look was enough for Hermione to laugh. It was such a delightful sound, Viktor found himself joining in.


	19. Chapter 19

Hermione paced back and forth in the middle of the library trying not to look at Harry. She knew that if she did she would scream at him. Harry had done some seriously stupid things in the past, but this almost topped all of them.

"Did you even think about what you were doing?" she asked hysterically. "You told me that you had solved the egg puzzle a month ago. And now you're telling me that I have to help you find a way to breathe underwater?"

"That was the reason I asked you Hermione," he said.

She sat down, still willing herself to keep her eyes off her friend, and ran a hand through her hair. "Harry, I love you dearly, but you make it very hard to like you all the time," she mumbled. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Help me?" he said with what she was sure was a shrug even though she wouldn't look at him.

"What's going on here?" Neville asked.

Hermione looked up at Neville grateful that he was standing in the opposite direction of Harry. She was going to avoid yelling at him as much as she could. And Neville might be able to help her.

"Harry just figured out what the riddle in the egg was," Hermione huffed. "Now we have to figure out a way for him to breathe underwater for an hour."

"Have you thought of gillyweed?" Neville asked.

Hermione jumped up and hugged Neville. "I could kiss you right now."

"I hope you don't," Neville said. "I would hate to get hit by your boyfriend. He seriously has some muscles on him."

Hermione laughed. She knew that Viktor wouldn't hurt Neville. He wasn't all that fond of Ron, but he actually liked Neville.

"That's all well and good," Harry said awkwardly, "but maybe we could focus on where to get some gillyweed. I've never heard of it."

"You wouldn't have," Neville said. "We haven't learnt about it in herbology yet…"

"Then how do you know about it?" Harry asked.

Neville shrugged. "I like herbology. And it's in that book that Professor Moody gave me. But I don't know where we would get some. It grows in the Mediterranean."

Hermione looked thoughtful as she processed the information. She hadn't known any of the properties of gillyweed, but she had come across it in a book once.

"Isn't it a valuable potions ingredient?" she asked.

Neville nodded. "Snape probably has some. But I don't know how you would get him to agree to give you some. He hates Harry. Probably more than he hates anyone."

"It's not my fault," Harry protested. "But you are right. I'm going to need some help for this one."

"If you'll excuse me, I've got some other work to be done. If I think of anything, I'll let you know," Hermione said as she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder.

She walked out of the library and up to Ravenclaw tower. She was meeting Padma to go over transfiguration homework, and the debate that usually accompanied such things.

After answering the question to get in the door, a practice she thought was most unwise, she climbed the stairs until she found Padma sitting on her bed, scratching furiously on some parchment.

"Something wrong with your essay?" Hermione asked.

Padma looked up at Hermione, and then at the clock on her nightstand. "Nothing in particular, since this is a rough draft, but I just changed my mind on the direction I want to take this. And I guess I lost track of time."

"Same here." Hermione sat her bag down on the floor and pulled out her transfiguration textbook and homework. "But I will be blaming half of that on Harry."

"What did he do this time?" Padma laughed.

"He put off figuring out the clue for the tournament until the last minute. He only has about a week left to figure things out. I swear I need to teach him better time management."

"If you ever figure out a way to do that, let me know. I think I'd like to use it on Pavarti. We might be twins, but that didn't stop us from feeling like opposites."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know much about siblings, but I guess it feels the way that I feel about Ron. He drives me crazy, but I would still step in front of a bus for him."

They settled down to work on homework, talking about friends and Hermione's wish that she could have had a brother or sister. She supposed it would be weird now, but she still wanted one.

Even after their homework was finished they stayed talking. They had moved on from family to household spells.

"I know that knitting goes so much faster when it's spelled, but I love to do it myself," Hermione confessed. "I'm still not very good at it yet."

"You'll get there," Padma assured her. "It's just going to take some time for your muscles to remember what their supposed to do without you thinking about it. And you have to do that. Your problem is that you keep getting distracted."

"And how am I supposed to not get distracted?" Hermione asked. "Between homework, helping Harry, and Viktor, I feel like I hardly have enough time to breathe."

Padma smiled. She knew her friend sometimes had the tendency to spread herself in more directions than necessary. And she knew that it was only when someone intervened that she even realized she had been doing it.

"You could always pull back a little with the extra study," she commented offhandedly.

Hermione shook her head. "No. I'd get bored. And I feel like I have to study even harder now that I'm dating Viktor."

She stood up and shook her legs out, trying to get the circulation to start up again. She knew that she would have to return to her dorm soon, and cold feet wouldn't help her at all.

"He likes you the way that you are," Padma said. "You don't have to prove anything."

Hermione bit her lip. "It's not him I feel like I have to prove myself to. Part of it's me, that he even sees something in me worth liking. And part of it's everyone else. I don't think they'd understand. I don't think they do understand."

"For the brightest witch in our year, you do have a tendency to overthink things," Padma said.

"It comes with the territory."

"Have you thought that maybe you aren't supposed to understand it? Maybe no one's supposed to understand it. But if you asked Viktor, he might be able to tell you why he likes you."

"I already know part of the reason. It's really hard to not like your soulmate," Hermione said nonchalantly.

Padma jumped up from her bed and grabbed Hermione's hands. "You didn't tell me he was your soulmate!" she screamed. "How did you even know?"

"That's a long story," Hermione sat back down and told her essentially the same story she had told Neville. There were a few more details involved since Padma demanded to know everything.

"Could you show me?" she asked.

Hermione rolled up her arm, and pulled the pen out of her pocket. She paused for a moment, thinking about the words she wanted to say.

 **Hi Viktor. Padma's here and she was wondering if you could say something to her,** she wrote in English. She didn't really want Padma to see Bulgarian on her arm.

 **Hello Padma.**

Padma squealed in excitement. Hermione covered her ears to save them from pain at the high pitched noise.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"My friend is soulmates with Viktor Krum!" Padma hugged her.

"Not so loud," Hermione hissed. "People will hear you."


	20. Chapter 20

Hermione felt cool air splash across her face, and then the spray of water. She opened her eyes and breathed in deep, trying to avoid getting a mouthful of water down her throat. She treaded water, feeling a strange calm as she looked at a shark headed man.

The head shifted, turning into the Bulgarian that was so familiar to Hermione. He raised a fist in the air, cheering, while he used the other hand to help her stay afloat.

She was pulled out of the water by Madame Pomfrey and herded into a tent. A towel was draped over her and a robe found so that she wouldn't freeze. The early February air was still chilly, and frost crept over the ground.

She sat on the cot, attempting to dry her hair out with the towel. Viktor sat on the cot across from her, a little dryer, if only due to the fact that he didn't have hair dripping onto him.

"How are you?" Viktor asked.

"Rather cold," Hermione admitted. She was attempting not to shiver, but her lips were tinged blue.

Viktor moved over next to her, pulling her close. In spite of the cold, and the wet, he was warm. Hermione snuggled into his embrace, leaning her head on his chest.

"This is nice," she mumbled into is chest.

"Is very nice," he agreed. "I vish ve could stay like this forever."

"It's going to be hard when you go back to Bulgaria at the end of this year. I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

Viktor glanced around. Fleur had been pulled out of the lake when she had run into the grindylows. But she was over by the edge of the lake, looking worried.

"Come here." Viktor pulled her out of the tent for a second. He led her away from the crowds, all of whom were waiting for Cassius and Harry to emerge. "Vill you come visit me this summer?"

"I'd love to," Hermione said. "I'll have to ask my parents, but I want to."

"Her-me-own, I haff never felt this vay about anyone," Viktor said. He leaned down and captured her lips with his.

She pulled on his robe, drawing him closer to her. The kiss was short and sweet, promptly followed by cheers. It seemed that Cassius had saved Cedric, and only a short while afterwards, Harry and two hostages came out of the water.

Hermione hurried over to Harry's side. She recognized Ron, and the blonde girl had to be Fleur's sister.

"Harry!" She threw her towel over Harry, in a rather silly attempt to dry him up a bit. "Thank goodness you're safe."

Viktor stood back a safe distance, arms crossed over his chest. He frowned at the media attention that Harry was getting. And Hermione received some of the attention, simply due to her presence.

"I'm fine. But I came in last," Harry said once he could breathe again.

"Second to last," Hermione said. "Fleur didn't even make it past the grindylows."

Harry was escorted back to the med tent to be warmed up. Hermione could feel Viktor's eyes on her, along with the eyes of just about everyone else.

She made sure to check on Ron as well. He had only woken up when he had broken the surface, the same as everyone else. But the Black Lake was bitterly cold most of the time and even more so since it was the second of February.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'll be better when I get warmed up," he snapped. "Why are you wet?"

"Because I was one of the hostages too," she said as calmly as she could.

"I didn't think Harry would get two hostages," Ron mused.

Hermione shook her head softly. "He didn't."

"Then who?" Ron's face darkened as he realized what was going on. "Krum."

"Yes, Viktor," Hermione said. She was barely in control of her temper. Ron had a bad habit of bringing out the worst in her, and it irritated her even more that he knew how to push all of her buttons.

"Why him?" he nearly screamed at her.

"Maybe because he wants to be with me," Hermione whispered. "He doesn't treat me like an afterthought. And he cares what I think of him."

She glared at Ron. He glared right back at her. They held their stares for a good ten minutes before Harry came over to them.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Harry asked.

"Ask her," Ron snapped.

"Ron's mad because he didn't know that I was going to be Viktor's hostage," she said. "But you saved Fleur's and I don't see him complaining about that."

Harry shrugged. "He was mad at me in the beginning of the year. He'll get over it."

Hermione shrugged and headed off to the castle to dry off completely and warm up. She needed to warm up before her lips turned any more blue. And it would help her to get her mind off Ron.

She dressed in trousers and a soft blue sweater. She'd tried a dark blue once and had gotten mistaken for a Ravenclaw. But she supposed that now that she knew where Ravenclaw tower was, she didn't have to worry about that too much.

Once she was dressed, she walked into the great hall to get something to eat. She hadn't eaten since the night before and it was closing in on lunch time. She was famished.

She sat down and grabbed a ham sandwich. She tore into it part angry, and part starving. She finished one sandwich, grabbed another, and poured herself a mug of hot chocolate. It warmed her up, and calmed her down.

"Bad day?" Neville asked.

"You could certainly say that," Hermione said. "It's freezing."

"And it doesn't help anyone if Ron decides that he's mad at you."

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

Neville nodded his head. Harry had told him what happened, aware that Neville was able to understand Hermione better than Ron. Ron was very much like a little brother to Hermione. She couldn't stay mad at him forever, no matter how much he bugged her. But Neville was able to be the friend she needed to get her head on straight again.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I've been better." She shivered a tad, her body slowly adjusting to the warmer temperatures.

"Well I think Viktor has something he wants to say to you," he said.

"What makes you say that?" Hermione asked.

Neville shook his head. "Just the fact that he's been playing with a quill for the past half hour. He was doodling on his arm, no words. Not even Bulgarian ones."

Hermione pulled the sleeve of her jumper up, and sure enough a weird variety of squiggles circled her forearm. There was the odd letter or two, but they looked as if they'd been abandoned halfway through writing them.

 _Library?_ She wrote.

A quick _yes_ was the answer and she finished two more sandwiches before heading off to the library.

She walked through the stacks, running her hands over the spines of the books. It was a rather calming process for her. She would have continued to browse, but she spotted a rather grumpy looking seeker standing at the end of the bookcase she was standing in front of.

"Hey," she whispered as she walked over to him. She kissed his cheek and looked into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Viktor pulled Hermione close, holding onto her as tight as he dared.

"Really Viktor, as nice as the hug is, I would like to know what's going on."

He took her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It vas horrible. Seeing you, floating there, looking like you vere dead. It vas so scary."

He held her close to him, and Hermione let him. She leaned into him, knowing that he needed to make sure she was alright. It had been fine when they were at the lake, because he'd seen her walking around. But then she had gone off to see Harry and stormed off mad at Ron.

With the distance at lunch, those images in the lake had come back to Viktor and he'd found himself thinking the worst. He wasn't exactly sure why he was thinking such things, but he couldn't stop himself.

"I'm here," Hermione whispered.

Standing there in the library both of them came to the same realization. The feelings they had for each other weren't going to go away. They were unsure about how to deal with the inevitable separation, but they knew they would find each other again.


	21. Chapter 21

Hermione ripped up the Daily Prophet angrily. She couldn't believe that someone so slanderous had gotten a job at one of the most prestigious newspapers of Wizarding Britain. What she did know is that she had a bone to pick with a certain Rita Skeeter.

"Bad story?" Harry asked.

"Ask Neville," Hermione said. She rested her head on the table, unsure of how to handle the anger building up inside her.

Neville shook his head. "You don't want to know." He ate his toast covered in marmalade quietly, hoping that Harry would drop the subject.

Harry found himself not asking, though he did make a mental note to ask Cho for her copy of the prophet later. Then he could figure out why Hermione was so upset.

They ate breakfast in silence until Ron got there. He ate like a man who hadn't seen food in three days, much less eaten any of it. But when he got there, the post came in.

A dozen or more letters were dropped off in front of Hermione. Ron got a letter from his mum and a copy of the prophet. He looked at it suspiciously, casting a dubious look at Hermione.

She had picked up an envelope from the growing pile in front of her. She opened it slowly, but bubotuber pus oozed up and over her hands. She dropped the envelope onto the rest of them and rushed off to the hospital wing.

She left so quickly that her bag was still sitting on the floor. Neville scooped it up and hurried after his friend. He could hear her crying as she climbed the stairs and hurried down the hall.

"Oh my dear," Madame Pomfrey said. "What happened?"

"Hate mail," Neville said dropping Hermione's bag down on one of the beds.

"Some people," Pomfrey muttered as she set to work.

Within the next half hour, Hermione's hands were cleaned, bandaged, and spelled so that they would heal faster. Madame Pomfrey also gave her a potion so that she could take the bandages off in a day or two, instead of the week it would normally take.

Neville carried her bag as they headed off to charms class. He sat next to her, herding off vengeful stares and self-righteous looks. He took detailed notes, knowing full well that Hermione wouldn't be able to hold a quill for at least a week.

He helped her all day long, even writing down her essay for transfiguration as she dictated it. Occasionally he had to ask her to spell a word, but that was about all he asked of her.

"Thanks," Hermione said softly at dinner.

She was eating, or rather drinking, soup from a mug. Anything else was too hard to hold.

"Don't mention it," Neville said. "Really, once you can hold a quill again, don't mention it."

She nodded and sipped at her soup, listening to Harry and Ron talk about Harry's plans for Valentine's day.

Harry was pretty sure that he wanted to take Cho out to Madame Puddifoot's Tea House, or whatever it was called. Hermione had walked past it and it looked particularly pink. She made a mental note to find out if Cho would like that sort of thing.

Hermione got up to go see Padma. She had a question about a certain reporter's quill, and she wanted to know how it was done. Perhaps the effects could be used to aid her until she regained the full use of her hands.

She was glad that she left her bag in her dorm. It was hard to maneuver with her hands the way they were, and having a bad swinging loosely on her shoulder wouldn't have made it any easier.

"Hey Padma."

"Hermione. How are the hands?" Padma asked.

"They've been better." She held up her bandages for inspection. "I have an idea about that, however."

Padma's curiosity was piqued. "What do you have in mind?"

"You know Rita Skeeter's quill? The horrible one that twists everyone's words into something twisted? Well, I was thinking that if I could spell one of my quills to write what I say, I could at the very least write my own essays."

Padma nodded. "You'll actually want to talk to Vivian." She pointed at a pretty brunette with eyes green enough to rival Harry's.

"She can't be more than a second year," Hermione said.

"Third, and a master of wandless magic," Padma said. "She could certainly spell any quill you want, and even make sure that it's only tuned to your voice so that no one else can ruin your essays."

"That's amazing. How did she manage that?"

"She's only got one hand. She lost her left hand in an accident when she was little, and she's still not quite able to use the right one the way she wants. It was more out of necessity than anything," Padma explained. "Now go talk to her."

Padma shooed her friend over to the third year Ravenclaw, and Hermione approached nervously.

"Vivian?" she asked nervously.

"Yes." The third year was startlingly pretty. "How can I help you?" She eyed the older witch appraisingly, noting the Gryffindor badge on her robes.

"I was told that you're the best person to help me with my predicament." Hermione held up her hands. "They said that you might be able to spell my quill to write for me."

Vivian nodded and pulled out her wand from her bag along with a quill. Her right hand shook something fierce, making the typical means of using it impractical.

Vivian laid the quill on the table next to her wand. Laying her hand on the wand, she muttered a spell under her breath, and the quill wiggled before jumping up towards Hermione.

"That should be it."

"That's amazing," Hermione said. "Would you mind teaching me?"

"Only if you promise to proofread my essays. Padma says that you're the best proofreader she's ever met. And since she gets the highest scores on her essays, she must be doing something right."

"It's a deal."

* * *

A/N: So no Viktor in this chapter. Sorry. But there will be more of him in the next chapter. He'll be worried, but understanding. And it was rather tricky for Hermione to do everything without the use of her hands. Oh well. More people. I also plan on including a student who is either deaf or hard of hearing who's mastered wordless magic. And someone blind. Not sure yet. But I know Hermione can't pass up the chance to learn something new.


	22. Chapter 22

It was ten days after the second task, nine days after the hate mail incident, and two days until Valentine's day. The air was buzzing with excitement as students planned the day.

Hermione found it rather annoying. She didn't think that anyone should need a holiday to tell another how they felt. And it had become more of a commercial holiday than anything else with all the chocolate hearts and red roses.

Neville was feeling almost the same way that Hermione was, but with a sadder perspective on things. He guessed that he might like the holiday, if he had someone special to share it with. But he guessed that he shouldn't be so grumpy. After all, fourteen wasn't a bad time to spend Valentine's day with friends.

On the other hand, Padma was excited. Like Neville, she wasn't dating anyone. But she was planning on something for all her friends. And Hermione, though amused by her antics, found that she didn't disapprove of it the way that she did of those planning to use Valentine's day to ask someone out.

She wasn't mad at the couples going on dates. Most of them would be going that day, since it was Saturday, and a Hogsmeade weekend. She and Viktor were on a date, but they had done that pretty much every chance they had gotten.

They were strolling along next to the lake, enjoying the solitude that the weekend gave them. It was nice to get away and have a moment alone. With the fangirls still trailing Viktor, it was difficult for them.

Hermione leaned into Viktor, her head resting on his arm. She loved the clean scent of his soap, it smelling like mountains and musk. It wasn't strong, but she enjoyed it.

"Vhat are you thinking?" Viktor asked.

Hermione's face flushed. "I was thinking that you smell nice," she muttered.

"Is better than opposite," Viktor laughed. "You also smell nice."

Hermione ran a hand through her hair, grateful that she'd managed to brush it before the curls had knotted up. It was a nervous habit of hers to run a hand through her hair, and it often caused pain when she forgot to untangle the knots in her hair first.

"What is your family like?" Hermione blurted out.

"You vill get a chance to meet my parents," Viktor said. "They are coming for the third task. I am thinking they vill get here a few days before, but vill likely stay in Hogsmeade."

"I wish you could meet my parents," Hermione said. "Unfortunately Hogwarts is impossible for muggles to find. I suppose they could get here if someone brought them, but it would be very unusual for them."

"I think I haff an idea." He steered her away from the lake and towards the forest, being sure to keep the castle in his sight. "If your parents can get to Hogsmeade, I can haff my parents meet them."

"That's brilliant!" Hermione exclaimed. She threw her arms around Viktor's neck and kissed him.

He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. The world seemed to melt away. It was just the two of them, holding onto one another.

When they stopped to breathe, Hermione was gripping onto Viktor's cloak like her life depended on it. Her legs were rather shaky, so she was very glad his arms were still holding onto her.

"If all brilliant ideas haff a revard like this, I vill haff to haff more." He kissed her forehead.

"I don't think that you'll need to," Hermione said as she blushed profusely.

"And vhat exactly do you mean by that?" Viktor tilted her chin so that she was looking at him.

"I mean that I don't mind kissing you. And that you don't need a brilliant idea for me to kiss you." She nervously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, knowing that it wouldn't stay for long.

"Vell then," he said before he bent down to capture her lips again.

She smiled into the kiss. A small giggle warbled in her chest and she pulled away, trying to stifle the laughter.

"Vhat?" Viktor asked, seeing the grin on her face though she tried to hide it behind her hands.

"Nothing." Her face was turning red with the effort to not laugh. And she was failing. "I really don't know what's going on."

Viktor held her close, laughing a little as her giggles wiggled through her. Her laughter reverberated through him, and was rather contagious.

After a few minutes Hermione managed to calm down. She still felt giddy, her nerves abandoning her. But she still had one concern.

"Do you think your parents will like me?" she asked.

"Her-my-oh-nin, they vill loff you." He said it so earnestly that there was no room for doubt.

They walked around the lake, talking about their families. Viktor had one sister, who was at Durmstrang and hadn't come since they had only brought people eligible for the tournament. She was quite bright and at the top of her class.

Hermione was an only child. And she had always wanted a brother or sister, but she doubted that she would ever have one. Her parents said that one child was more than enough for them, and doubly so since she was a witch.

Viktor had laughed at that. He thought that with how driven and studious Hermione was she wouldn't get into too much trouble. Boy was he wrong.

She had then told him of how she had brewed polyjuice potion her second year, and stolen the ingredients necessary. His jaw had dropped at the idea of a thirteen-year-old brewing a potion that even N.E.W.T. students had trouble with.

"Vhat? How? Vhy?"

"The chamber of secrets had been opened and was petrifying students. We were fairly certain that one of the Slytherins had opened the chamber, and wanted to interrogate him. He was innocent, but we didn't' find that out before the potion," she explained. "And then there was another little matter."

Hermione went on to explain that she had found out the hard way that the potion was only supposed to be used with human hair. She had spent a month in the hospital wing, recovering from being turned into a humanoid version of a cat. It was awful.

"The worst part was the hairballs," Hermione said. "I know that cats have them, but since I hadn't "groomed" that way I wasn't expecting them. It was horrible."

Even though she was describing the bad parts, a smile was on her face. It was nice to share things like that with someone. And the fact that he wasn't Harry or Ron made it better. He didn't tease her for not knowing about polyjuice potion and animal hair. He was just impressed.

They continued on walking until Hermione's stomach growled. It wasn't until that point that either of them realized that they were hungry.

"I guess it's time for food," Hermione said.

"Vhich is a very good idea."

They climbed the path back up to the castle. It wasn't dark yet, but it wasn't quite lunch time anymore. Hermione pulled Viktor up the stairs to a portrait of a fruit bowl.

"Vhat are ve doing here?" Viktor asked as she tickled the pear.

"Just wait." A handle appeared from the pear and Hermione led Viktor into the kitchens.

There were dozens of house elves bustling around, cleaning dishes from lunch and making dinner. There were even a few who popped in and out either to clean common rooms or do laundry.

Viktor looked around in amazement. He'd never seen so many house elves in one place. Sure his family owned a few, but it was a family of four, not the thirty or so odd elves that bustled around the kitchen. But then he supposed more elves were needed to take care of hundreds of teenagers.

"What can Mitzy get for you?" an elf asked.

"Something warm," Hermione said. "But not too filling. We would still like to have dinner later."

"Soup?" Viktor asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No soup. I've had enough soup this past week to last a lifetime. Or at least the rest of the month. Maybe a grilled cheese sandwhich?"

Mitzy nodded and got soup for Viktor and a sandwhich for Hermione. They ate in relative silence, having talked through most of the morning and afternoon. It wasn't awkward.

A strange vision flashed through them of them sitting together eating dinner together. It was a house, one that neither of them had ever seen before. And the scene changed, days blending together. Years passed. Children were born and grew up.

The vision disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and both of them looked at each other. Hermione was convinced that it was her imagination. It was all too easy to imagine the future with Viktor, and her mind must have just gotten carried away.

Viktor felt that it was what could be. No future was ever set in stone. That was why half of the prophecies were so cryptic, so that they could be interpreted one way or another. But it was the future he wanted to see.

Neither of them would admit it, but they were developing deep feelings for each other. Perhaps it was the nature of being soulmates, but being together felt so natural.

After their food, they parted ways to go meet their friends coming back from Hogsmeade. Neville practically ran over to her.

"Thank goodness you weren't there," he gasped. "Harry and Cho are revoltingly, sickeningly, mushy."

"I believe that," she laughed looking over at the happy couple. Apparently Cho had enjoyed the tea shop.

Ron walked over from a carriage he had shared with Ginny and the Lovegood girl in her year. They were just enjoying the time away from the castle, and Ron had decided it would be better to go with them than Harry and Cho.

"How was your day Mione?"

"Pretty good. A little cold, but it beats being surrounded by tons of people watching you. And you don't have to deal with that," she pointed over to Harry and Cho.

"Yeah. We were walking around with them at the beginning of the trip. We went to Honeyduke's together. It was horrible," Ron said.

"Ron and I ditched them after that and spent most of the trip at Zonko's," Neville added.

"But we got split up at the Three Broomsticks," Ron added. "I found Ginny and Luna, and Neville wandered outside and found Harry and Cho getting ready to catch a carriage."

They started back to the great hall, Ron and Neville telling her everything.

"But the worst part wasn't Harry and Cho. It was that there were a thousand couples like them all over the place," Neville said.

"Valentine's day," Ron said.

"I told you it was a worthless holiday. Just make sure to avoid any chocolates on Monday," Hermione said.

* * *

A/N: So lots of Viktor in this chapter. Yay!


	23. Chapter 23

Hermione sat in the great hall at breakfast on Valentine's trying very hard to control her emotions. She thought that she was a logical person, and was usually clear headed about most things. But that morning, she was most definitely not logical.

Owl after owl had dropped off present after present for Viktor. Harry had the usual stack that he had shoved onto the floor to dispose of later. But it was nothing compared to Viktor's pile. It had piled itself up around him, spilling off the table and onto the floor without any movement from anyone.

She didn't realize it but she had bent her fork in half. It wasn't until she tried to stab her French toast that she found that eating was going to be difficult.

"Here." Neville handed her another fork.

"Thanks."

"Other than Harry nearly snogging Cho, and Dean Thomas asking Ginny out, what's wrong? And don't tell me it's nothing."

She sighed a little in defeat. Neville had a bad habit of reading her closer than she liked. It was probably good for her mental health, but sometimes she didn't want to acknowledge his, admittedly accurate, readings.

"It's the stuff that people keep sending Viktor," Hermione said. "I know we aren't exactly flaunting our relationship, but one would hope that it would at least dampen their efforts."

"I doubt he's stupid enough to open any of those things," Harry said. "Goodness knows that just about everything in there is going to be laced with a love potion."

"I mean, if he's going to be thorough, he should probably carry around an antidote all day. Just in case some girl gets it into her head to do something stupid," Cho added.

"And there will almost certainly be at least one," Hermione said. She stabbed at her food again.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Neville asked.

"That would go over just perfectly," Hermione said sarcastically. "Hi honey, how's your day going? Never mind that we're in front of the whole school."

"I didn't mean now," Neville said. "And I think you have a way of arranging a meeting." He looked at her and gestured covertly to her arm.

She was just about to pull out a pen when she saw that Viktor had already sent her a message.

 _Are you alright?_

She felt her lips twitch upwards a little at the words on her arm, even though she still felt miserable. She pulled her pen out and scribbled back.

 _Not too bad. I hate this holiday. But even more than that I hate the bimbos sending you things._

She looked up, took a few bites and managed to catch Viktor's eye. He nodded towards the door and she nodded. She dropped her fork and picked up her bag.

"I'll see you later," she told her friends.

She was almost running out of the great hall, and she actually walked into Viktor.

"Hey there," she said blushing.

"Vas not expecting to run into you this vay," Viktor said. He gave her a quickl little hug. "Better than vhat I expected."

"Thanks," she said pushing back the curl of hair that wouldn't stay no matter what she did. "I guess I just didn't expect to be so jealous."

"Valk vith me?" Viktor asked. He held out his hand for her.

She took it, walking with him as he led her up the stairs and then waited for a minute. "Vhich vay is class?"

"Fourth floor, third corridor, second door on the left. And you don't have to walk me to class I'm sure you have to get to your lessons as well."

"I vant to."

That was the end of that conversation and they walked in comfortable silence up to the transfiguration classroom. There were still a few minutes before most of the other students would even finish eating breakfast, and they stood in the hallway, each trying to figure out how to say what was on their minds.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "Thanks for taking the time to spend it with me and make me feel wanted."

"I vill always vant you, Her-me-own-ninny." He frowned at his pronunciation of her name.

She giggled at his face. "We'll have plenty of time to work on that later. And you still have to help me with my Bulgarian. Just because I can hold a decent written conversation doesn't mean that I've stopped wanting to learn."

"How much vork do you have to do?"

"Not as much as I think," she admitted. "Just mostly proofreading the essays due next week. And one arithmancy sheet."

"Vell, vould you like to vork on your Bulgarian in the library today?"

She practically jumped from excitement. "I would love to."

* * *

Hermione had her head on the table in defeat. She was still having trouble making her mouth move the way that she wanted it to in order to say what she was trying to say. Viktor understood, since he often felt that way about English, but there was only so much he could say.

Instead of trying to say anything, he just sat there with a hand on her back. He knew that she would try again, and likely fail again, but he was going to let her do that on her own timetable. He wouldn't push, as wonderful as it was to hear her try to speak Bulgarian.

"Will I ever be able to do this?" she asked, her voice muffled as she hadn't picked her head up.

"You vill," he assured her. "I still haff hard time vith English. You vill learn."

"Thanks." She sat up and straightened her hair and jumper. "You always know the right thing to say to make me feel better."

"I am only speaking truth," he said. "You are a vonderful vitch, and very smart. You vill learn. If only so that you can say you did."

She kissed him on the cheek. She would have loved to snog him right there and then, but the library was for work. And reading. It wasn't a place to be snogging. And if Madame Pince caught them, she would be in huge trouble.

He took her hand and squeezed it encouragingly, a huge smile breaking out on his face. While Hermione knew that he liked her, and he liked it when they kissed, she had found that he enjoyed the little moments of their relationship the most. The hand holding, the talking, and just being together.

She tried again for another half hour, and had made decent progress. She could say a few more words, even if she was still having a hard time saying them quickly, or understanding.

But it was time for dinner, and she wanted to eat and leave before all the lovesick couples actually made her sick. She might be in a relationship but that didn't mean that she wanted to watch other couples try to eat each other's faces off.

She started to gather up her things, packing them into her bag. She was just going over the table one last time for anything she might have missed, when she found Viktor holding her pen.

"Vhat is this?" he asked.

"That's a pen. It's a muggle invention. It's like a quill but it holds the ink inside. And it hurts a lot less to write on your skin with."

She pulled the lid off and doodled a little smile on his right hand, the ink popping up on her skin too, to prove her point. The look on his face was one of amazement and wonder.

"You can keep it if you want," she said.

"I couldn't take such a vonderthing from you."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I have a few more in my bag. And three in my trunk. I'll be fine."

Viktor took her gift with the repirocation of a hug and kiss, sweet and slow. His things were already packed up, so they left the library hand in hand and headed down to dinner with huge smiles. Those smiles didn't fade once. Not when Ron chewed with his mouth open, or when Draco Malfoy accidently ingested one of Viktor's love potion infested chocolates.


	24. Chapter 24

February disappeared all too quickly and the quidditch pitch became a mess of hedges just as quickly. Everyone was surprised to see what looked like a maze, but they weren't exactly that surprised. The triwizard tournament had been nothing that anyone had expected.

Hermione found herself cooped up in the library most days, desperately trying to distract herself from reality. March was time for the prep for the final task of the triwizard tournament, since it would take place at the end of the month. Then exam reviews would take place and finally the tests.

Hermione was glad that the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students wouldn't be leaving until the end of the school year. She didn't know how she would handle it if they left earlier.

"Vhat are you thinking?" a certain deep Bulgarian voice broke her from her thoughts.

"I was just thinking that I don't know how I'm going to handle this summer and the next year," she said softly. It was strange to admit it out loud.

Viktor rubbed his chin as he thought. "Vhat did your parents say about you coming to visit?"

"They said it was a fine idea. But I don't exactly know how to get there. Maybe they could come to Bulgaria too?"

"Ve haff plenty of room."

Hermione nodded. She made a note to ask her parents when they came to Hogsmeade at the end of the month. They were super excited to meet Viktor, and were rather impressed that he wanted them to meet his parents too.

Hermione hoped they would agree to go with her. Or at least help her find a way for her to get there. She'd already decided that she wanted to go more than anything. But being away from her parents for so long would hardly be fair to them.

She knew that they felt a little distant from her. She felt rather distant from them, even at home. They practically lived in two different worlds, no matter how much they tried otherwise. If they agreed, she hoped it would bring them closer together.

"Do you think your parents will like me?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Ve haff already talked about this," he said taking her hand in his. "They vill loff you."

"Do you think your parents will like mine? I mean, your parents are magical. Mine are muggles."

Her face was worried. She bit her lip as she considered the possibilities of their parents meeting each other. It could either go fantastically, or very wrong. And she wasn't sure which one she feared more.

What she did know is that the hand holding hers gave her more comfort than she had originally expected. She knew that their relationship wasn't going to fall apart because of distance. She had invested too much time in it to just let it fall apart, and she knew Viktor felt the same way.

Viktor let go of her hand, pulling her into an embrace, whispering some Bulgarian words in her ear. She wasn't quite sure what they meant, but she was sure they were meant to be comforting. She closed her eyes and savored the feeling.

"What do you want to do after quidditch?" Hermione asked.

"I vas thinking of writing a book, but vas not sure." He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the ground. "Vas hoping you vould read it."

Hermione's face lit up. "I would love to. Have you written it already? What's it about? Is it fiction or nonfiction? Are you planning on publishing under a pseudonym? I assume it's going to be written in Bulgarian."

She rambled on for a bit, so excited. She loved books. She thought that one day, she might want to write one, but she wasn't quite sure. She knew that either way, she had a lot of books to read.

Viktor let her babble, feeling his nervousness roll off him with every word that she spoke. He did write in Bulgarian. While he could speak English well enough, he wasn't sure he could write a full book in it on anything other than quidditch. Which was not the first book he wanted to write.

Before either of them realized it, the sun had set and things were rather dark. The days were getting longer, but night still came before dinner time.

They packed up their things and headed down to the great hall. It took them a while because they kept finding little corners and hidden spots to kiss each other in. Finally, flushing and a little rumpled, they entered the great hall and went to their respective tables.

"Hermione can you help me with my potions essay?" Ron asked as soon as she sat down. Thankfully, his mouth was empty of food.

"I'll help you, as long as you actually are the one to write it," Hermione said. It was her usual reply, and she was in a good mood. Even Ron chewing with his mouth open couldn't dampen it, or so she hoped. She didn't particularly want to put it to the test.

"You turn it in already?" Neville asked.

Hermione nodded. She'd turned it in the last week, as soon as Professor Snape would take it. He wasn't as bad as everyone said if you paid attention and kept quiet. Hermione sometimes had a hard time with the quiet bit, but she worked hard enough that Snape didn't have as many problems with her as he could.

"If you're not too busy with helping Ron, would you proof read mine?" Neville asked.

"And mine," Harry added.

A small smile worked its way onto her face. "You boys are going to keep me busy through my entire academic career."

* * *

A/N: So I'm going to try to keep writing this through this month, but I'm also working on an original story for NaNoWriMo. Also, life seems to be getting in the way. And my grandpa just died, so if I disappear for a while I hope you guys understand. Thanks for reading this. You are the best.


	25. Chapter 25

Hermione dressed in jeans and a warm sweater as compared to the normal robes she wore at Hogwarts. She was meeting her parents at the train station, and knew that they weren't exactly comfortable with robes, even if she was starting to prefer them to muggle clothes.

She headed down the stairs, barely stopping to say hello to the boys sitting there. She was down the stairs and out the door in the courtyard before she stopped to breathe. She supposed there were advantages to running up and down the stairs all the time.

She paused, taking a deep breath, before heading to the gate. It wasn't a particularly long walk to Hogsmeade, but there was a reason that most of the students rode carriages on weekends they were allowed to go to the village. But she wasn't sure that there would be a carriage ready for her, and she wanted to walk.

She allowed her feet to carry her to the village. While there she practiced what she was going to say.

"Hi Mum. Dad. I asked you here to meet the man who I want to spend the rest of my life with. That won't work. They'll think I'm crazy. I missed you like crazy. And you're missing out on my life. By the way, you should meet my boyfriend."

She shook her head. Each idea sounded weirder than the last. She was sure that they would be supportive of her, the way that they had been her entire life. They wouldn't understand how she had come to be involved with Viktor, and she hoped that she could explain decently.

At the station, she hugged her parents. "It's so good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Mrs. Granger said.

"Was this always an option?" Mr. Granger asked.

Hermione found a smile forming on her face. "I go to boarding school dad. Most of the parents don't see their children during the school year. And I didn't even get to go to Hogsmeade until last year."

"I'm just glad that we get to see you now hone," Mrs. Granger said. "How are your classes?"

"Going decently. Professor Snape hasn't seen fit to throw me into detention yet this semester."

"Professor Snape," Mr. Granger mused.

"The potions teacher," Mrs. Granger whispered to her husband.

"That's the one. He really doesn't like Harry. Or Ron, but I'm sure that not liking Ron has more to do with his half efforts in his homework."

"Why don't you show us around honey," Mrs. Granger said. "I'm sure there's a lot to see."

Hermione lead her parents through the streets, explaining the shops and homes there. She told them who to avoid talking to, and who would be kind. She deliberately left out the fact that Honeyduke's was one of her favourite shops. She knew that their dentist sides would kick in, and she'd be in trouble.

When they got to the Three Broomsticks, Viktor was waiting in a booth with what looked like his parents. She gave him a look that obviously meant for him to wait just a moment longer. And had Madame Rosmerta send her parents bags up to their room.

"Come on," she said, "there's someone I want you to meet."

She led them over to the booth where the Krums were sitting and talking in Bulgarian. She cleared her throat to announce her presence, though she knew that Viktor was very aware of the fact that she was standing less than three feet away from him.

"Mr. and Mrs. Krum I presume," she said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's an honour to meet the girl who has managed to steal our Viktor's heart," Mrs. Krum said in perfect English. "He has mentioned you in every letter home."

Hermione smiled as a slight flush spread over Viktor's cheeks. She was glad to know that he felt that way.

"I would like you to meet my parents."

"I'm Helena Granger, and this is my husband John," Mrs. Granger introduced herself and her husband.

"Ivana Krum. And this is Dimitri."

"It's nice to meet you both," Mr. Granger said. "Hermione seemed rather eager when she told us what she was hoping we'd agree to. Although, I think she was more hoping that we would agree to let her spend the summer with you."

Hermione looked at her mother, a hopeful expression on her face. She desperately wanted to go, though she knew that her parents were very likely to be reluctant. They had barely seen her the last summer, and now she wanted to spend even more time away from them.

"Ve vould let Viktor visit you, but he has vork over the summer," Dimitri Krum said.

"Just how old are you Viktor?" Mr. Granger asked.

"I turn eighteen next veek," Viktor said.

"And what do you do?" Mrs. Granger added.

"Viktor's a seeker on a professional quidditch team," Hermione said. She took his hand under the table. "It's a sport. It's kind of like being a rugby player," she explained to her father.

"Ahh." He seemed appeased. Mr. Granger was a rather avid rugby player in his youth. He still enjoyed watching the sport, and seemed pleased that his daughter was dating an athlete.

"Of course, you two would be more than welcome to come with your daughter," Mrs. Krum said.

"Please mum? Dad?" Hermione said.

"Only if we get to come with you," Mrs. Granger said.

"I think I'd rather like to see one of these quidditch games," Mr. Granger said.

"I vill get you tickets," Viktor said.

"I think you would have done that even if he hadn't asked," Hermione teased her boyfriend.

"It vas best idea I could think of," he said.

All of their parents laughed at that. They could see that the two genuinely cared for each other and wanted the relationship to work out. Nothing they could do would stop that, so they might as well accept it.


	26. Chapter 26

It was the day of the final task of the tournament and Hermione was feeling beyond nervous. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. She hoped that it was just nerves, but if it was the case she guessed that something would relieve the anxiety.

She hadn't seen any of the champions since breakfast. She wanted to see them, any of them. She would even be fine with running into Cassius Warrington. But the Slytherin wasn't anywhere to be found. And she was fairly certain that they were being briefed on the rules of the final task.

Hermione walked out to the stands, where they would "watch" the task, with Padma and Neville. Ron was already with his family, enjoying talking with Bill and Charlie who he hadn't seen for a few months. And Harry was wherever the rest of the champions were.

"It's going to be so exciting. I seriously think that your Viktor has the best chance of winning the cup," Padma said.

"I'm just hoping that nothing goes wrong," Hermione mumbled.

"If anything does, Viktor will be able to handle himself," Neville assured her. "He's obviously one of the best students at Durmstrang."

"I know that," Hermione said. "I just don't want him to get hurt."

"He won't," both of her friends said.

"Now where are we supposed to sit?" Padma asked. "I don't particularly want to sit with the rest of the Gryffindors. You two are some of the only ones I like."

"Next to Pavarti," Neville said.

"I'm stuck with her," Padma said. "If I didn't like her, life would be very hard."

"Neither of you have to worry," Hermione told them. "I'm supposed to sit with Viktor's parents in the top section. You can sort of see the maze pattern from up there. And you're free to join me."

"Yes," they chorused.

They got to the top and were settled in with Viktor's parents when he came to say hello.

"Mother, Father. It looks like you haff met Ms. Granger's friends." He shot her a guilty look. Hermione knew that she had to come up with something he could call her that was easier to wrap his mouth around.

"Excuse me," she said to her friends.

Viktor and Hermione walked up to the one little stand next to the announcer's box. It was the only quiet and empty space available, and they desperately wanted to be alone.

Before Viktor had a chance to say anything, Hermione pulled him close, and kissed him softly. It wasn't particularly long or fierce, but she needed him to know that she loved him.

"If you die, I am going to kill you," she whispered into his chest as he held her.

"I guess I vill haff to stay alive. If only to keep beautiful vitch from impossible tasks."

She looked up at him, worry written across her face. "You just come back to me. I don't care if you win, or if you come in last. Just come back, and play quidditch next year."

"I vill. I vill. I loff you, Her-my-own-nin."

She kissed him again, just stopping herself from crying. "Me too. I'm so glad that you don't have to leave right after this. But you had better go."

She sat down to watch the task as best she could, knowing that she wouldn't be able to see much of anything. She was still desperately nervous, but her heartbeat had managed to slow down to a rhythm she could live with.

Viktor was the first to enter the maze, due to him being in first place. Hermione watched with pride as he stepped into the maze without hesitation. And then something went wrong.

Hermione felt her vision darken and she slumped against Neville for a second. Her head swam, and it was with a lot of effort that she pulled herself back up again. She stood, looking for an official.

"What are you doing Hermione?" Neville asked.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Padma added.

Hermione shook her head. "I just think something's wrong. I'll be back in a minute."

All of the four people who were sitting with her watched her go with confusion. The Krums looked at each other with a slight panic, but the confidence that parents had in their son's abilities. Padma and Neville were less assured.

"You don't think…"  
"Something's wrong with Viktor," Padma finished for Neville.

They scurried down the steps after Hermione. They weren't exactly sure what to do. They didn't know what she could do. They didn't even know how to explain the situation to anyone who asked.

Hermione was yelling at a Mr. Bagman. Her face was flushed and her hair was twice the size it normally was, almost crackling with electricity.

"I don't know what it takes to get it through your thick head! Something is not right! And not in the someone has died sort of a way! In the, something is controlling people way! So you get your butt in there, and sort it out!"

Hermione was furious. And it looked like she had every right to be. Neville and Padma ran up to her, offering support. She hugged them, tears falling from her eyes.

"Thanks guys."

"Hermione," Neville said, "we weren't going to let you do whatever it is that you're doing alone."

"Goodness knows how many times you've gotten into trouble for Ron and Harry's sake. We're just here to repay the favour," Padma added.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but her smile was enough for them to know they had made the right choice. They waited a few moments for something to happen, but it was tedious.

Red sparks shot into the air and Hermione found herself wishing that Viktor would be pulled out. Her stomach was all in knots, and she couldn't relax. It was like she was trying to fight something, but she didn't know what.

Fleur Dealcour was pulled out of the maze, and Hermione felt her worry grow. It wasn't quite as bad as it had been before. Something made it easier to breathe. She didn't know why.

Both Viktor and Cassius were pulled out of the maze. Cassius had a horrified look on his face, while Viktor looked as though he was not himself. And Hermione knew that whatever was wrong with him, was the reason she was feeling so horrible.

She pulled him over to the tent set up for the medics. Madame Pomfrey was tending to Fleur, but took one look at Viktor and dropped everything.

"Miss Granger, if you would be so kind as to bandage some of Miss Dealacour's wounds up, I will get to work on Viktor straight away."

Hermione worked on the bandages for the scrapes that Fleur had gotten. Most of them weren't deep, but she had quite a few of them.

"It looks like you got pulled through a rosebush," Hermione said.

"It was almost like ze rosebushes. But much bigger," Fleur said.

Hermione found that her focus wasn't on Fleur, even though she did a decent job of bandaging her up and making small talk. She couldn't get her mind off Viktor, though it looked like he was coming to. The band that had tightened around her chest loosened a notch.

"Her-me-own…" he said.

"I'm right here." She rushed over to his side and clung to him, so grateful to have him back.

Madame Pomfrey stormed out of her tent, and whacked a certain Ludo Bagman over the head with whatever had been closest to her. It looked like a chair. Hermione laughed. She had been wanting to do that for hours.

"Loff, vhat happened?"

"I'm not sure, but it was bad. I couldn't relax at all. You were in the maze, and things just felt wrong. It wasn't like something horrible happened to you, but you weren't right," Hermione attempted to explain.

She kissed him, pulling him as close as she possibly could. She needed to show him that she loved him. That she was there for him. And she needed to know that he was right there with her. It was sweet, it was bitter, and it was full of hope and need.

There was a question on Viktor's lips when commotion broke out in the center of the entrance to the maze.

Harry was there clutching a Cedric Diggory who looked at the very least unconscious. But his head had been hit, and was caked in blood. Madame Pomfrey rushed over with Mr. and Mrs. Diggory. Hermione had one hand over her mouth as Viktor squeezed the other in reassurance.

Everything was a blur. Diggory was hanging on by a thread and needed immediate medical attention. Proffessor Moody turned out to be a dead death eater named Barty Crouch. And the whole tournament had been a trap for Harry.

Viktor and Hermione were sitting on the steps of the staircase, holding hands. Hermione leaned her head onto Viktor's shoulder, not sure of anything other than him. She knew that the future was uncertain. But she was sure she could face anything with Viktor by her side.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: So there seems to be some confusion from the last chapter. Yes, Cassius is the other Hogwarts champion. Hopefully, this chapter explains what happened better.

* * *

Like Hermione, Cedric had known that something was wrong the minute the task started. And when his boyfriend entered the maze, the feeling had only intensified. Cedric knew then that he had to do something.

While his first instinct had been to get the officials to stop the task, Hermione wasn't exactly having much luck with that. She was worried as much as he was, and it made him more determined to get something, anything, done.

He had crept around towards the back of the maze. There weren't a lot of people over there and he figured he would have an easier time trying to get in. Strangely, there was an unprotected entrance. Cedric took a deep breath and entered the maze.

Inside the maze, things were rather eerie. Fog filled the air, creatures crept in shadows. Cedric was frightened, but he kept moving. He fought his way in, stunning Krum when the horrid feeling overwhelmed him. He kept moving, knowing that Krum wasn't the only source of the feeling.

He was just a few feet behind Cassius when the champion saw the cup. And Harry saw the cup from the other side of the path. Cedric was grateful for his long legs as he pushed his boyfriend away from the cup, accidently touching it at the same time as Harry Potter.

There was the familiar lurch from the navel that came with portkeys and they disappeared from the maze. They landed in an abandoned graveyard. All Cedric could think was that it was a bad sign. He was almost certain it wasn't part of the task.

"Kill the spare," an almost reptilian voice rasped.

Cedric didn't have time to think. Harry had sent a stunner at him before the voice hand finished talking. He collapsed to the ground, a killing curse missing him by a hair.

He missed everything else, being unconscious on the ground. But he was alive, and he supposed that was enough. He certainly didn't want to be dead.

When he finally came to in the hospital wing, he had found quite a few people waiting for him to wake up. He had almost expected Harry to be there. Cassius was fairly obvious, and the one person he had desperately wanted to see.

Cho was a surprise, but he suspected that she was there for Harry more than him. There was Hermione, and he wasn't sure why she was there, but he had a sneaky suspicion.

Viktor had been waiting, and he was the one that most surprised Cedric. After all, he had hurt Viktor more than Viktor had hurt him. He no longer held the uncomfortable sensation that he had held in the maze. The Bulgarian was no longer threatening.

Viktor explained out of earshot of everyone save Hermione, who he seemed reluctant to let out of his sights, that he had been put under the imperius curse. It explained so much. And Cedric and Viktor became weird acquaintances.

A few days later it was announced that the Triwizard tournament would end with a duelling contest. While Harry would have technically been the winner, the extenuating circumstances had caused enough grief that the organisers had to agree with the schools.

With the outside influence, death eater intervention, and the use of an unforgivable curse on one of the participants, no one could claim that Harry had actually won. And even Dumbledore gave his consent for a new task.

Hermione found that such a thing actually eased her nerves. She wasn't worried about anyone getting hurt, though she was a little uncertain who to root for.

On one hand, there was Harry, who was her best friend. And school spirit. Several of her classmates would be upset if she didn't root for Harry or Cassius. Even if she didn't really know Cassius that well.

And on the other hand was Viktor. Her sweet, amazing, Viktor. He had captured her heart and she desperately wanted to support him. And then there was the small little matter of his birthday.

In all the commotion, it had sort of snuck up on her and was the next day. And all of the ideas that Hermione had of celebrating felt as though they were cliché, or not special enough.

"For the thousandth time, would you tell me what you want?" she asked him.

"I haff already told you, I haff everything I vant," Viktor said. He pulled her closer to him, enjoying sitting next to her in the library. "Though if you vant, I vould like to take you on a proper date soon."

She lightly whacked him with the novel she was reading. "Oh no, you don't Mister. It's your birthday, so I get to do something."

He smiled at her determination. She really didn't have to do anything for him. He already had everything he could possibly ever want. And then some things that he wasn't sure he would have thought of on his own. But she seemed determined to think of something.

The next morning came far sooner than Hermione wanted. She hardly wanted to miss any of it, but she knew that she had stayed up far later than she should have. Which wouldn't have happened if she had thought of what she did earlier.

She had stayed up most of the night working on knitting a scarf. She had used her wand instead of one of the needles, and it had imbued the work with magic. It would feel like a hug from her, and always smell of her. Hermione hoped it would help ease the separation.

She practically bounded over to him at breakfast, both of them sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Hermione had sat with Padma enough that no one questioned it, and it wasn't Gryffindor. That would have caused some trouble with Viktor's headmaster.

Or it would have if he had been present. Karkaroff had disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone or why. Though, there was a theory going around that he had disappeared to hide with the return of He-who-must-not-be-named. Though there were quite a few people who believed that Harry was making the story up.

"Hello," Viktor said to Hermione.

"Happy Birthday," Hermione said and shoved the box with her present in it at him.

"You did not haff to get me anything," Viktor said.

"I wanted to. Open it." She could hardly contain her excitement.

Viktor unwrapped the gift, and a shocked look came over his face. It was March, and he hadn't expected a scarf, even if Hogwarts was still chilly compared with Bulgaria. It wasn't cold compared to Durmstrang.

"Vas not expecting this," he said as he wrapped it around his neck. It was a nice grey, one that wouldn't clash with anything he wanted to wear. A look of shock came over his face as the sensation of a hug, one he hadn't forgotten in the short time since he'd had one the day before, wrapped around him.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked.

"Is best present I haff had in a long time," he told her. "Did you make it?"

She nodded, a shy smile on her face. She knew that she wasn't the best knitter, having learnt only that summer from Mrs Weasley. But she was proud to have made something with her own hands instead of buying something.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Would you two just eat breakfast?" one of the Ravenclaws asked.

Hermione blushed and turned back to her food, even as Viktor dug into his pancakes. He had quite the affinity for them, but he didn't look away from Hermione for longer than a second, a smile in his eyes.


	28. Chapter 28

Hermione found herself oddly comfortable watching most of the duels. Cassius and Fleur were surprisingly accomplished. Harry was definitely at a disadvantage. But Hermione was most captivated by the way Viktor dueled with fluid ease.

Hermione knew that dueling in Bulgaria was different than in England and France. And while Viktor had studied their methods at Durmstrang, he had asked Hermione to go over the protocol again with him before the duels started.

She was fairly certain that it was allowed. After all, Harry had also asked her to go over the proper way to open a duel. He'd been coerced into one with Voldemort, but he wasn't sure that it was the best example of how a duel should go.

Hermione cheered for Viktor in every bout of his except for the one with Harry. There she sat, nervously fiddling in her seat. She still hadn't managed to decide who to cheer for. She had cheered equally for both Harry and Viktor up to that point, and she knew that neither of them would mind who she picked.

It was likely due to their understanding that she'd had such a hard time. But she was grateful that both Padma and Neville, whom she had grown incredibly close to that year, understood. They had even cheered for Viktor with her.

"Are you sure that's legal?" Padma asked as Viktor shot a spell at Harry that caused him to start laughing uncontrollably.

"I'm pretty sure that's a tickling spell. Perfectly legal. Although a little unusual," Hermione said.

Harry dropped his wand and crumpled to the ground in a shaking heap. Tears streamed down his face as he mumbled "stop" as best he could while struggling to breathe.

"I think Viktor just won all of his duels," Neville said. "Remarkable."

"You think I would like him if all he did was quidditch?" Hermione said sarcastically. "You know me better than that."

Neville smiled. "Of course I do. I'm just surprised he managed to do it so fast."

"I'm surprised too. He seemed like he was having too much fun. He certainly took an unexpected approach with each opponent," Padma added.

Padma and Neville started going off on different tactics that might have worked with each of the champions' skills and abilities. They compared strengths and weaknesses and agreed that it was likely that Viktor would have won in just about any situation.

Hermione just watched the rest of the matches with half of her attention. Her mind kept wandering off to Viktor and what the score would be. He would probably win. Which was fine, but he certainly didn't need the money or fame.

Hermione wondered what Viktor was planning on doing with the funds if he won. No one had talked about it. Rita Skeeter was way too focused on creating discord and gaining readership even if she had to falsify information. And Hermione knew that the other newspapers weren't covering the tournament to the degree that the Daily Prophet was.

Viktor walked over to their seats, which were in the front row, and sat down to watch the rest of the duels.

"That was crazy!" Padma nearly shouted. "You were amazing."

"She's not wrong," Hermione said. "You were rather remarkable to watch."

"It vas too easy," Viktor said. "Dueling is much harder in Bulgaria."

"As I told them. But it was still interesting to see exactly how you manage to cast spells like that. And how your opponent never had a chance to guess what you were going to do. You did something completely unexpected every time." Hermione knew that she was rambling, but she felt as though she couldn't stop.

Viktor smiled. He always liked when Hermione rambled. Her eyes lit up and she talked without fear. Intellectual conversation was her element, almost in the same way that quidditch was his. He would just watch her rant all day if nothing got in the way.

"So how did you do it?" Neville asked. "Know how to beat each of them in ways that they couldn't have anticipated? Do you know something that we don't?"

"Of course he does," Padma hissed. "He's eighteen. We're fourteen. He's supposed to know things we don't know."

"Is not hard," Viktor said. "Vhen dueling starts, most protect veakest side. Is vhere they know most attacks vill come. And they know they can protect strong side easily. Secret is to send harmless spells quickly to veak side and then stronger spells to strong side vhen they are not expecting it."

Both Padma and Neville thought over it and agreed that it sounded rather sound. If you didn't give your opponent a chance to attack, things were more likely to work out in your favour. They started debating on which of the champions might have figured out Viktor's strategy.

Hermione sat next to Viktor enjoying being next to him while she could. After the rest of the duels were over, he would be swept up in whatever was going on. Either he would win, which seemed likely considering that he'd done the best out of the previous tasks and had won all his duels, or he would lose.

Either way, he would wind up being busy and have people clamouring for his attention. As much as Hermione wished that she might just have him to herself, she knew that wouldn't happen much. She was looking forward to the summer, where she knew she would get at least a few days alone with Viktor.

"Vhat is wrong?" Viktor asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking that I can't wait for the summer. I'm glad my parents said that we could come to Bulgaria," she said.

"Me too."

Hermione snuggled into Viktor's side as the duels went on. It felt as if each was taking longer than the last one, but Hermione wasn't complaining. She wasn't sure that she was ready to hear the results of the duels.

Eventually, the last duel was finished, and the judges were deliberating the results. Harry came over, his face glistening a little with the sweat he had managed to work up in the last match. It had lasted over ten minutes and had looked particularly grueling, even if Harry had eventually lost to Warrington.

"Nice to have the chance to spar with you Viktor," Harry said. "Even if I've got a lot to learn before I even have a chance to actually take you on."

"You vill learn," Viktor said shaking his hand. "I know you vill. You haff faced more than any man should haff to. Let me know if you ever vant help."

"I will," Harry said.

Harry headed up the steps to where the Weasleys were sitting. Ron and Harry were like two peas in a pod. While Hermione was one of them most of the time, they understood that she wanted to spend time with Viktor while she could. For the most part. Ron still had some trouble processing that, but he was trying.

Hermione and Viktor sat and listened to the debate between Neville and Padma on the use of magical artifacts. They were comparing things like the sorting hat, the goblet of fire, and wands that had been passed down through families for generations.

"I'm just saying that if instead of a magic fire goblet, we pulled names out of a hat, Harry wouldn't have necessarily been subjected to the things this tournament has piled on him," Padma said.

"And I'm saying that there's not another good way to make sure that we're getting the best candidate from each school," Neville said. "If you pull names out of a hat, you get candidates at random."

"And how bad would that be?" Padma asked.

"If you get someone incapable, it would be disastrous."

Hermione listened as they debated the pros and cons of both systems. She found that she didn't know enough to actually form an unbiased opinion, and made a note to study more on magical artifacts, before their conversation devolved again. Padma and Neville had a habit of switching subjects when they realized they were too emotionally invested in their own opinions.

Hermione tuned them out as the judges filed back into the room. Apparently they had made a decision. She tensed a little as a short man who was wearing a collared shirt under his robes, and slacks peaked out under the bottom, climbed onto the platform.

Jeremy Clark, an American wizard who had been selected because of his impartial nature, cleared his throat and invited all the champions onto the stage. He turned to the audience and gave a short speech about how the nature of the competition was not to win, but to foster friendships throughout the magical community.

"In fourth place, one Miss Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons."

There was a large but polite round of applause from everyone. Hermione found herself clapping for the girl that she barely knew. But she knew how hard it could be to compete with boys. The fact that she had done as well as she had was testament to her skill.

"In third place, Harry Potter."

There was a lot of applause from Hogwarts, particularly Gryffindor. Hermione cheered with Neville, Padma applauding a little quieter. She wasn't exactly friends with Harry, and wasn't a Gryffindor and felt awkward supporting him. But everyone was so happy it was contagious.

"In second place, Cassius Warrington."

Slytherin erupted in cheers. Their champion had outdone Harry Potter, the fact that he was three years older notwithstanding, and they were thrilled. The rest of Hogwarts was glad that their champions had done as well as they had, and were cheering loudly.

"And the winner of the triwizard tournament, Viktor Krum!"

Durmstrang was the loudest group anyone had heard when they were excited. There were cheers all around. Everyone loved the Bulgarian seeker, and few were afraid to show it. Even Hermione was cheering as loudly as she could, jumping from excitement.

"That's my boyfriend," she preened.

Neville rolled his eyes. "We know."

Hermione ran over to Viktor as soon as he stepped down and hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek before the crowd swarmed them.

"I'm so proud of you," she said.


	29. Chapter 29

Once the tournament was officially over, there was quite a bit of panic over exams. Hermione practically went crazy, writing, reading, and thinking about material until Viktor stepped in. He made sure that she took a break from studying long enough to eat. And he reminded her that she should go to bed at a reasonable hour.

It was the calmest that Harry and Ron had ever seen her before exams. Excluding their second year, but with being petrified and exams being cancelled it didn't really count. They were actually enjoying her studying, and were feeling more confident about the upcoming exams themselves.

Neville studied with them, and even Padma had joined them on occasion. Hermione and Neville were more likely to join Padma in the Ravenclaw common room while Harry and Ron took a two hour break from school. It worked out better for everyone that way.

"I just don't get why Harry and Ron don't study as much as you two," Padma said one afternoon.

Neville and Hermione shared a look of frustration at their friends. Harry and Ron were great at practical magic. They just weren't too keen on book learning, which frustrated Hermione to no end.

"Ron doesn't like to do anything he doesn't have to. As for Harry, I think he sometimes gets a little wrapped up in life to realize that school's important too," Hermione said. She was trying to accept their study habits, even if she didn't like them.

"We figure that as long as they pass, everything will be fine," Neville said. "And they should be able to."

"Well I think that both of you will pass with flying colours," Padma said.

"Except for potions," Neville bemoaned.

Hermione put a reassuring hand on Neville's shoulder. "We can work on that as much as you want. We all know that half of it is that you're so scared of Professor Snape that you panic and forget what you're supposed to be doing."

"Is it that obvious?" Neville asked.

"Only to your friends," Padma said. "We just have to get you to the point where you could brew in your sleep. Then you'll be fine."

Neville mulled over what Padma had said. She had a solution, but Neville wasn't sure that they had enough time in the three days left until exams started to get him comfortable with a cauldron. Snape had made him fear every aspect of brewing.

"I have an idea," Hermione said.

She grabbed Neville's arm and practically dragged him out of Ravenclaw tower. Padma followed without being prompted. Her natural curiosity got the best of her sometimes, and she had to know what Hermione was thinking.

Hermione dragged Neville down the stairs, past classrooms full of practicing students, and out the doors of Hogwarts. They headed across the grounds towards the Black Lake, and Neville had a sinking feeling that only grew when they were at the edge of the water.

There, as if he was waiting for them, was Viktor. He kissed Hermione's head gently before looking at her expectantly. While he probably had more of an idea of what was going on than Neville and Padma, he still wanted Hermione to explain what was going on.

"Neville," she waved at the boy, "has been having some trouble. He's terrified he's going to fail his potions exam."

"Potions is class vith dark vizard vith big nose?" Viktor asked.

"That would be the one," Neville shuddered.

"Haff an idea of how to help," Viktor said. "Come vith me."

The group trudged up to the ship and went to the kitchen. It was smaller than Hermione would have expected, with as many people resided on it, but it had all the essentials.

Viktor pulled out a pot, and some ingredients out of the cupboards. He found his way around incredibly easily. But Hermione guessed that was to be expected.

"Ve vill make soup," Viktor said to Neville.

Neville looked around nervously. He had never cooked before. He'd never needed to. And he wasn't exactly sure what soup had to do with potions.

Viktor must have sensed Neville's discomfort, because he leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder while explaining. "Soup is like potions. But if you mess up, all you haff is burnt food. Not explosions that could hurt friends."

Neville nodded at that logic, and was soon cutting vegetables up comfortably, his confidence growing as he worked. When he finished, he served up soup that wasn't over or under cooked. And it actually tasted good.

"Do you think you could manage a potion now?" Hermione asked.

Neville nodded. "Unless I'm next to Seamus Finnigan."

Hermione nodded her head. That boy could blow almost anything up just by looking at it. She was surprised that he hadn't hurt himself badly, though he did usually smell of charred hair. And he had been in the hospital wing almost once a week since first year.

Padma slurped her soup a little louder than was polite in England. "I doubt you'll have to worry about that. The potions exams are always individual. I think you'll each get a full desk to yourselves."

"Thank Merlin," Neville said.

Viktor watched the three of them with amusement. He was incredibly glad that Hermione had friends in her year, and was even more glad that she had more friends than just Harry and Ron. Harry thought of Hermione as a sister, and did his best to be around her, but he had a hard time with knowing what was going on with her unless she told him.

On the other hand, Ron was very much an emotional teenage boy. And to make matters worse, he had a bad habit of acting first and thinking later. He was fiercely loyal to Harry, now that he knew Harry valued him more than fame. That was probably his greatest quality.

Hermione looked at Viktor a little confused. She had no idea what he was thinking, and she had a few questions for later. She looked down at her soup, amazingly cooked. She was certain that if Viktor wanted to, he could be a great teacher.

They finished their soup, and Neville and Padma went back to their respective common rooms for a little relaxation now that they were confident that their efforts would be enough.

Hermione washed her dishes the muggle way, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying them before she realized that she didn't know where they went. She turned to Viktor, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Where do you keep the bowls?"

Viktor smiled and opened a cupboard, taking the bowls from her hands and setting them on one of the shelves. Hermione was rather grateful, since she wasn't sure she could have reached the shelf. There were times she wasn't particularly happy about being short and any time she couldn't reach something only exacerbated those feelings.

"Neville has skill," Viktor mused. "Is just scared to try."

"I know," she said. "I've been trying to help him, but Professor Snape tends to get me in trouble for that. Even if I can brew a decent potion."

"Haff no vorries there," Viktor said. He pulled her into a hug, cradling her softly.

Hermione relished his touch. It made her feel safe, protected. She was almost certain that she felt loved, even though she wasn't sure that they truly loved each other yet. She knew that it was very likely that they would fall in love, but she was also fairly certain that it hadn't quite developed yet.

"I don't know how I'm going to let you leave," she mumbled.

Viktor just pulled her closer to him, tightening his embrace. He didn't want to leave the stunning witch who had captured his heart. But he knew that, at least for the summer, separation would be temporary. It was the next school year he was worried about.

Even if Hermione was at Durmstrang, Viktor would be far away, and not able to see her very often. At least at Hogwarts, he might get a chance to see her on Hogsmeade weekends. It would make things easier on both of them.

"Vill be alright," he said softly, as much for his benefit as hers.

"I know. It's just going to be hard. I still can't believe everything that's gone on here. But, if only because I got to actually meet you, I'm glad."

She traced lines on his cheek, before gently placing a kiss on his lips. It was sweet, innocent, but spoke volumes of longing. Viktor pulled her back, deepening the kiss.

They were a little preoccupied, so they didn't notice the girl in the kitchen until a voice spoke.

"Ugg, Viktor. You haff to do that here?"

Viktor looked over at the pair standing close to the door. "Vlad," he said.

Vlad looked disgusted. The girl next to him, was beaming beyond any reasoning that Hermione could come up with.

"See Vlad," she said. "They are perfect."

"Ivanna," Vlad said with a roll of his eyes, "I do not care if vhey are married, or vhatever. I do not vish to see others kissing."

He strode out of the room with purpose. Ivanna followed after him shouting something that wasn't Bulgarian. Hermione listened, trying to place the language.

"Is Russian," Viktor said.

Hermione looked at him, trying to figure out how he knew what she wanted to know. She knew that she probably had a look of concentration on her face, but she hadn't been looking at Viktor then. Apparently he had been looking at her.

"Vas vritten all over face," he said. "You look like you need to figure out something, and that vas only thing I think of."

Hermione wrapped her arms around Viktor's neck. "You know me way too well."

"Am trying," he said with a kiss.


	30. Chapter 30

Hermione watched the large sails of the Durmstrang ship sink below the surface of the Black Lake. She stood with Harry and Ron, who she was sure were the only reason that she wasn't a complete mess. As it was, she still felt like her world was falling apart.

Viktor was going back to Durmstrang, and then to Bulgaria. And while she was going to see him in less than a week, she wasn't looking forward to the temporary separation. She supposed it would be easier for her when school started back up in the fall and she was busy. She really didn't know.

"Now things will finally get back to some semblance of normal," Ron said as they watched the now still surface of the lake.

"What makes you say that?" Hermione said.

"Just that this year has been strange," Ron said.

"While I'm not going to disagree, when exactly has any year of ours been 'normal,'" Harry asked.

"Ever since our first Halloween, things have been weird," Hermione said. "Though I think I should still say thank you for saving me from that troll."

Harry shook his head and waved it off. "All in the life of first year Harry and Ron."

"I hate to say it, but life threatening situations have become rather normal for us," Ron added.

Hermione laughed, hugging her friends. It was sad, but it was also rather silly how strange their lives had become. It wasn't as if they went looking for trouble. It was as if trouble was looking for them. But they had gotten better at avoiding harm as they went along.

They walked back up the hill to the castle as the Beauxbatons carriage soared overhead. They still had packing to do, and they only had two days left to do it. Hermione was almost done, but she knew the boys were likely to wait until the last moment to get everything in order.

She sat down on one of the couches in the common room, book in hand. She tried to read, wanting to distract herself. It wasn't going as well as she hoped, her attention snapping back to the real world after every sentence.

"Not coping well," Neville asked sitting in one of the chairs near her. It wasn't a question.

"I don't know what I'm doing with myself," Hermione said. "I shouldn't feel this way."

"I'm sorry," Neville said. "Not really sure what that feels like."

"I know I'm going to see him in just under a week, but I miss him already. And he hasn't even been gone that long." She covered her face with a pillow in frustration.

Neville smiled in amusement. Hermione was a normal teenage girl, for all her attempts to convince everyone otherwise. And the fact that she missed her boyfriend was understandable, even if he wasn't sure that everyone experienced the same emotions when separated. But it could have been a soulmate thing.

"You'll be fine. You just need to do something."

"I was trying to read," Hermione said. "It wasn't going so well."

She had a sheepish expression on her face as she glared at the book she had been trying to read. It was a mystery novel, and normally she would have been rather intrigued by it, but she couldn't pay enough attention to it for it to suck her in.

Neville grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to her feet. He didn't let go as he headed towards the portrait hole.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"On an adventure," Neville said.

Hermione laughed. "Is that you're way of saying you don't know yet?"

"Pretty much."

They headed down stairs, Hermione scurrying after Neville. They wound up in the kitchens, eating, talking and probably annoying the house elves. They made a bit of a mess, and Hermione felt ever so slightly guilty that they were leaving without helping, but Neville dragged her along.

"You guys going somewhere without me?" Padma asked as they walked by where they would normally turn up to go find her.

"No," Hermione said. "I don't know where we're going."

"And we didn't want to bug you if you were still packing," Neville said. While he was fairly certain that she was as organized as Hermione in her packing if not more, he wasn't sure that she didn't have more stuff. After all, Pavarti was her sister.

Padma waved her hand. "I'm done. Where are we going?"

"On an adventure," Hermione said.

"So no clue yet," Padma said.

"Pretty much."

The three of them laughed and headed off outside. They wound up in the greenhouses, sneaking away from both plants and Professor Sprout. It was Neville's happiest space, and the girls enjoyed being with him.

Though Padma wasn't sure that she enjoyed sharing her leg with devil's snare.

"Get it off," she hissed.

"It would be a lot easier to do that if you would stop squirming," Hermione said.

"Devil's snare will let go of you if you can just relax," Neville added.

Padma rolled her eyes. "Like that's easy with a plant determined to turn me into fertilizer."

"Oh for goodness sakes," Hermione said. "I can't believe I forgot. Sunshine."

"I'll hold her if you do the spell," Neville said.

Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket and chanted the incantation. Light sprang from her wand, and the plant recoiled releasing Padma.

Once the force she had been straining against had disappeared, Padma and Neville crashed to the ground. Even in the magical world, physics still applied. At least until there was a spell cast.

Padma laughed as she straightened herself up and brushed the dirt off. Neville was a little less amused, but he couldn't wipe the grin off his face at her laughter. It was amusing how quickly her "turning into fertilizer" escaped her mind.

"I can't believe you forgot sunshine," she said to Neville.

"I didn't. Relaxation is the easiest way to get out of the tangles of devil's snare. Just remember that it's just a plant. It doesn't actually want to hurt you. It just goes along with movement," Neville answered.

Padma rolled her eyes. "That makes me feel so much better," she said sarcastically. "The plant doesn't want to turn me into fertilizer, but it will because that's what it instinctively does."

"You're the one who got close enough to it," Neville said.

"And I think that's plenty of adventure for one day," Hermione said. She had effectively cut off their argument.

"She has a point," Neville said.

"One near death experience is more than enough for me. How do you ever manage to keep up with those boys?" Padma asked Hermione.

"Lots of patience and experience. First year was sort of obligation, and then stuff just kept happening. I'm just lucky that Harry has enough luck to keep getting out of the scrapes he gets in."

"It's a relief to us all," Neville said. "Especially when you guys went sneaking out in first year."

Hermione smiled at the bravery Neville had shown that night. "Honestly, that night should have been my first clue that someone like you was going to be a good friend. I'm sorry it took as long as it did for me to realize it."

Neville blushed. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to have friends."

"And I'm grateful to have friends outside Ravenclaw," Padma added. "We're nice and all, but most of us try to be the smartest person in the room. Not always a good idea."

"I'll remember that for later," Hermione said.

They headed inside, talking and laughing as students scurried around. There were a few Hufflepuffs going off in different directions looking for something.

"You missing something?" Padma asked.

"Oh thank goodness," a short brown haired third year said. "We're looking for Luna."

"Lovegood?"

"Yes," the boy said. "We found her shoes."

"I can take them to the tower," Padma said. "See if she's there. If not, put them where she'll find them."

* * *

The train ride back home felt interesting to Hermione. She wound up sitting with Harry and Ron, as was normal. She stretched her legs out over the bench where she sat as she tried to pay attention to their conversation.

They were talking about quidditch. Harry was trying to convince Ron to try out for the team. He was sure that the new captain, whoever they were, would want someone who had spent as much time on a broom as Ron had.

Hermione wasn't particularly interested. She did enjoy watching, but unless she had a specific team to root for she wasn't as invested as the boys were. Which she knew confused Ron to no end since she was dating an international quidditch sensation.

"Maybe you can get advice from Hermione's boyfriend," Ron said to Harry. "Would that work?"

Hermione shook her head, having perked up at the mention of her name. "Unless Harry's going to be in Bulgaria, I'm not entirely sure how that would work."

"Me either," Harry admitted. "Not that I'm worried. I'm sure our captain will work me hard. And I'm going to practice a ton over the summer if I can. If not, I'll just exercise."

They talked about their summer plans. Hermione was excited to get home, even if she had a few days before their flight to Bulgaria. She was excited to see her parents, and wanted to spend time with them. She had a feeling that she might get less time with them as time went on.

One pumpkin pasty, three sugar quills, and half a novel and a halfhearted conversation later, they pulled up to the station. Hermione collected her things, and emerged from platform nine and three quarters to the muggle station. She found her parents waiting, spotting them easily.

"Mum. Dad. It's good to see you," she said as she hugged them.

"It's good to see you too," Mrs. Granger said.

"And how were exams?" Mr. Granger asked knowing that Hermione had a tendency to ramble on about exams for hours.

"I got high marks, as I expected. And all my friends did well. Even Neville managed to pass his potions test with flying colours."

"Doesn't Neville have a bad history of potions?" her father asked.

"He's had some trouble in the past," Hermione admitted. "But I suspect that about half of that is due to his fear of Professor Snape."

Mrs. Granger shook her head. "Such a sad thing. I'm glad he's doing better."

"I think Viktor's help made it a lot easier," Hermione said.

"How did Viktor help?" Mr. Granger wanted to know.

"He told Neville that potions were a lot like cooking, and then had him practice some techniques while making soup. It's less explosive."

"I would certainly hope so," Mrs. Granger said.

They walked to the car in relative silence, occasionally one of them remarking on something. But none of those sparked a conversation. It was strange to Hermione that she felt so out of place with her own parents. But she guessed it was somewhat normal for someone who went to boarding school.

* * *

A/N: So November's over. Thank goodness. I'm still writing my story. And I'm working on a blog. It's about Barbra Gordon and Selina Kyle. Not really sure how much anyone else will like it, but you never know. Message me if you want info.


	31. Chapter 31

Hermione found that while she enjoyed having time to spend with her parents, she wasn't fully relaxed until they were at the airport. Although, relaxed might not have been the right word. She couldn't keep a grin off her face and almost jumped up when they were called to board the plane.

"Calm down Hermione," Mrs Granger admonished.

"Sorry Mum," Hermione said. "I'm just excited."

"I think the whole airport noticed, darling," Mr Granger said. "But I guess that's normal in airports."

Hermione nodded, knowing that airports were full of wonderful hellos, heartbreaking goodbyes and tonnes of people just trying to get somewhere. It was certainly an interesting place to spend time.

"Well, this is the first time we'll have been to Bulgaria," she said.

Her parents shared a look. They smiled knowingly at each other before turning their full attention back to her.

"As true as that might be, don't think we don't know exactly why you're excited," Mrs Granger said.

"I think it has to do with a certain Bulgarian boy," Mr Granger added.

Hermione blushed, her cheeks turning bright pink. "Maybe. But he is the reason we're going."

Hermione's parents looked like they were trying hard not to laugh, as they boarded the plane. They sat down, Hermione in the window seat. Her parents were next to her.

The first hour passed by relatively quickly, and both of Hermione's parents fell asleep. They were lulled into slumber by the gentle movement of the plane, and the gentle roar of the engines. Hermione, on the other hand, was too excited to sleep.

Checking that her parents were fast asleep, she pulled a pen out and her sleeve down.

 _How are you?_ She wrote.

 _Doing well. I am looking forward to seeing you. When are you going to be here?_

Hermione shook her head. Surely he couldn't have forgotten. She had written to him just the day before, and his mother had floo called that morning. She was fairly certain that he knew they would be there at five in the afternoon his time.

 _If you can't remember, I'm not going to tell you. But we should be there by the time you get home from practice._

 _I know when you are supposed to be there. But I was hoping that I might have gotten a chance to see you at the airport._

Hermione smiled. She was excited to see Viktor. She could hardly wait, but she knew that flying always made her hair a bit messier than normal. Which was a concern for her.

 _As wonderful as that sounds, I would like the chance to brush my hair before I see you. And maybe my teeth._

 _I would love to see you, even if you were covered in mud and toads were hopping out from your hair,_ he wrote.

Hermione blushed at his words, and the implication clear for her to see. He had basically said that no matter what he would hold her close as long as she would let him. And she knew that she wasn't likely to ever let him go.

 _You might, but I would be horrendously embarrassed. Just be prepared for the biggest hug ever when I see you. I missed you._

She knew her words were rather contradictory. She wanted to see Viktor, but she also wanted to look decent. But she knew that if he were to be at the airport, she would drop everything and run into his arms. It was probably a good thing her carry on was a backpack.

 _I will see you as soon as I can._

Hermione pulled a book out of her bag and attempted reading. By the fifth page, she accepted the fact that she couldn't focus on the words and looked out the window.

The view was incredible. She could understand why her boys, save Neville, loved flying. It was peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. She could appreciate it knowing that she didn't have to focus to avoid plummeting to her death.

She pulled her knees up to her chest. Airline seats weren't exactly the most comfortable seating, but she was fairly sure that they were nicer than being on a broom. And the option of sleep was nice. That was a recipe for disaster on a broom.

She watched the land passing underneath them with fascination until the plane started to descend. It was slow, but the pressure changed just enough for her parents to wake up.

"What?" asked Mrs Granger. "What's going on?"

"Calm down Helena. We're just about to land," Mr Granger said.

"You slept most of the way here," Hermione said.

Mrs Granger slowly came to her senses. Waking up in a space that was obviously not her room, or somewhere she had stayed at least one night before, was always a bit of a shock to her. Hermione had an easier time with it, most likely due to Mr Granger's uncanny ability to fall asleep practically anywhere and wake up unfazed.

"Guess it's a good thing I woke up now," Mrs Granger murmured. She stretched her arms up, trying to get some of the kinks in her spine out. Sleeping anywhere that wasn't flat always made her sore.

Hermione wanted to bolt out of her seat the minute the plane touched down. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the fact that she'd flown more than a few times and knew the rules by heart. That and her parents would get upset if she climbed over them when the door wasn't even open.

After what felt agonisingly long, the doors opened and they were allowed to leave the plane. Hermione was courteous, mostly because she wanted other people to reciprocate her actions. She almost sighed in relief as they entered the terminal.

Ivanna and Dimitri Krum were waiting for them. They looked incredibly dignified and incredibly muggle. It was strange to see how well they fit in and stood out at the same time.

"Velcome to Bulgaria," Mr Krum said. "It vill be vonderful to haff you in our home."

"Thank you," Hermione said. "This is such an honour for us."

"We really appreciate it," Mrs Granger said.

"It vas the least ve could do," Mrs Krum said. "After all, Viktor vould haff done something crazy if he could not see Hermione."

Hermione blushed but knew it was true. After all, she was ready to do something drastic herself, and she was due to see Viktor as soon as he got home from practice.

She was mostly silent as the parents chatted in the car on the way to the Krum's home. Part of it was introspection. She wanted to know why she was looking forward to seeing Viktor as much as she was. And part of it was that she didn't trust herself not to give her parents incriminating evidence for the future.

They pulled up to a stately but elegant home. It was huge, but it seemed to fit Mr and Mrs Krum perfectly. Hermione, couldn't quite fit her mind around the idea of it. It seemed that the Krums were more wealthy than she had realised.

She was in a daze even as Mrs Krum led her around and showed her to her room. It was larger than her room at her home, and looked far more comfortable, even if it lacked touches of her personality. The room was decorated in a soft spring green with light brown accents. Occasional pops of yellow pulled everything together without making it feel monochrome.

"This is amazing," she whispered.

"You might vant to clean up before Viktor gets here," Mrs Krum said. She then led Mr and Mrs Granger to their suite, one floor up.

Hermione moved to her suitcase and pulled out some clothes that were slightly more appropriate for the environment that she had found herself in. She pulled them on, and then brushed through her hair. Deciding she looked decent she walked out of the suite.

The house was huge. It was so big that Hermione wasn't exactly sure that it could be called a house. And she had no clue where anyone was. She wandered out and attempted to make it back the way that they had come.

Somehow, she made it to the foyer without incident. She stood and twirled around, enjoying the swishing of the skirt around her. It felt appropriate, and she was alone. She could act a little immaturely if she so wished.

The door opened, and Viktor entered the foyer a heavy quidditch bag on his shoulder. He dropped it just in time to catch Hermione as she practically flung herself into his arms.

"I missed you," she said.

"Me too," he said into her hair. He pulled her back to get a good look at her and then smirked. "But perhaps you vere right. This vas vorth the vait."

"You were right too," Hermione said. "No matter what, I'll come running to you."

He leant down and kissed her. Softly at first, but he pulled her closer and found that his happiness at seeing her again was expressed in it. And he could tell exactly how much she had missed him.

"I hope I'm interrupting something," Mr Granger said.

Hermione blushed as she took a step back, though she held onto Viktor's hand.

Mrs Granger elbowed her husband gently in the arm. "Be nice," she hissed. "Viktor, it's lovely to see you again," she said more loudly.

"It is vonderful to see you again Mrs Granger. And Mr Granger," Viktor said bowing to them.

"Your mother said that dinner was going to be ready just after you got home," Mrs Granger said. "We were trying to find our way to the dining room, but this house is so big. I'm afraid we got a bit lost."

"Oh then, follow me."

Viktor led them through the hallways to the dining room, sending his bag zipping up to his room with a spell. Before they even got to the dining room, delicious smells filled the air.

"Thank you," Mr Granger said.

"Is easy to get lost in this house. I haff done so many times," Viktor said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You live here. How on earth would you manage to get lost?"

"Is easier than you think. Especially vhen you spend months away for school. And then quidditch practice. Makes it easy to forget which vay to go."

Hermione knew that it was possible. She always had to spend the first week of school reacquainting herself with Hogwarts. But she had always assumed it was because of the nature of the school to change. Moving staircases didn't help anyone.

Ivanna Krum entered the dining room and waved her wand, causing the table to fill with food. It all smelled delicious and looked even more appetising than the smell. Hermione could feel her mouth water.

"This looks amazing Mrs Krum," Hermione said.

"I figured it vould be good for you to try some traditional Bulgarian food," Mrs Krum said. "And I know Viktor is excited."

Hermione turned her attention back to her boyfriend. He was looking at the food hungrily, obviously seeing something he liked. She smiled. While the quickest way to a man's heart wasn't necessarily through his stomach, she knew that she was going to have Mrs Krum teach her how to cook some of Viktor's favourite foods.

* * *

A/N: Yay for the summer. I'm enjoying writing without constraints. But fifth year is coming. And that means Umbridge. I'm both excited and terrified by her. She's probably the villain that scares me the most in the series. But I'm still excited to write her. And have Ron get mad. Because while I love Ron, he's a great friend to Harry most of the time, he's still a teenage boy with the emotional range of a teaspoon.


	32. Chapter 32

"Now this is a sport," Mr Granger whistled. "Go Viktor!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at her father's antics. He was behaving in a very similar way to the way he would act at a rugby game, but Hermione had never cared about those. This game was one that she cared about very much.

It was probably the fact that Viktor was playing that made her so invested. She hadn't pulled out the book she had brought with her once. They had only been playing for half an hour, but she was fully invested. By that point in just about every other game she had grown bored and stopped paying attention.

"So like basketball, the chasers try to score points by knocking that ball through the hoop," Mrs Granger went over the rules again.

"But like football, the keeper guards the hoops and tries to stop the other team from scoring points," Hermione said.

"And unlike any other sport, it's awesome!" Mr Granger shouted. "Why do they keep this a secret from muggles?" he asked.

"The statute of secrecy," Hermione said. "Apparently it's dangerous for wizards if muggles knew about us."

"Sounds like a political debate. We aren't that different. After all, don't wizards sometimes have children that can't do magic?" Mrs Granger asked.

Hermione nodded. "They're called squibs by wizards."

"So the question becomes whether wizards or muggles came first. Because it really doesn't sound like there's that much different between us. So why separate?"

Hermione mulled the thoughts over in her head. She knew the worlds were different. She lived in both. And she was constantly amazed by how far muggles had come. They had been to the moon, something most wizards had hardly ever dreamed of. What would happen if they tried working together?

"I think it started sometime in the dark ages," Hermione tried to explain. "You know, when there were witch burnings and everything. While wizards weren't exactly in danger, it became easier to split than to try and face execution every time they used their magic."

Mrs Granger nodded, obviously thinking. Hermione knew that face. Her mother was coming up with a plan that could possibly involve her. And it could wind up with disastrous consequences, or pleasantly surprising ones. Hermione hoped it was the latter in this case.

She turned her attention back to the game, glad to see that Viktor's team was winning. She watched as he dove for the snitch, and caught it. She jumped up, clapping with the rest of the fans. Viktor blew her a kiss as he flew a victory lap.

"That boy really loves you," Mr Granger said.

"I think so."

"I guess we'll have to have him over for Christmas then if that's acceptable."

Hermione squealed and hugged her father excitedly. "That would be wonderful. And magical travel is much faster."

"Darling slow down," Mrs Granger said. "We've got the whole summer to enjoy. Your father and I can work on holiday plans while you're at school."

Hermione couldn't keep the grin off her face as they walked down to the pitch. By the time they got there, most of the people had already gone home. That was one of the perks and disadvantages to being in one of the top boxes.

"Viktor," she said, seeing that he was cleaned up.

"How long does it take to walk down those stairs?" Mr Granger asked.

"Too long," Mrs Granger answered.

"Maybe not," Viktor said. "Is nice to haff time for a shower."

Hermione smiled and hugged him. "I told you. But I do have to admit that you had a point too."

"Not mud, nor toads," he said.

They laughed and both sets of parents looked at each other. Smiles played on both of the mother's lips while both Mr Granger and Mr Krum looked confused.

"What is that?" Mr Granger asked.

"I think that's what some of the kids these days call an inside joke. It's funny to them, but not to anyone else," Mrs Granger told her husband.

"Makes no sense," Mr Krum muttered.

"Perhaps ve should give them some privacy," Mrs Krum said. "Viktor knows how to get home."

"Are you expecting him to fly Hermione home on a broomstick?" Mr Granger asked. "I don't think she'd like that."

Mr Krum shook his head. "Not unless she vants to. Viktor knows how to apparate."

Hermione ignored her father's questions and her mother's soft comments to both of their fathers. Mrs Granger was quite the woman, but that wasn't something Hermione wanted to pay attention to.

"Now I haff you all to myself," Viktor said.

"And what were you hoping would come from that Mr Krum?" she teased.

"This." He leant down and kissed her softly. "It vas vonderful to know you vere vatching me."

"I was watching you at the world cup last year," she said.

"That doesn't count. You vere vatching for soulmate, not at handsome seeker."

She laughed. "In my defence, you didn't tell me who you were."

"I didn't vant lovely vitch to think that I was lying, he said. And I had no idea who you vere."

"You wouldn't have known me. Just some British witch at fourteen, with muggle parents nonetheless."

She looked slightly ashamed of her heritage. It wasn't something she particularly liked to talk about, as much as she said otherwise to Malfoy. She tried not to let it get to her, but being around Ron and other people who had grown up in the magical world made her feel a tad outcast.

"You think that matters?" Viktor said. "I haff found you now. The tournament might haff been elaborate plan to trap Potter, but I like vhat I found."

Hermione smiled, her spirits rising. "Thank you. We should probably get back to your house before my mother tries to abolish the statute of secrecy."

* * *

Mrs Granger had actually been arguing over the need for secrecy with Mrs Krum. Mr Granger found that he should probably call it a debate since they never raised their voices or even spoke with intense emotion. It was more an exchange of ideas than anything.

Mr. Granger did think muggles would like quidditch. He loved the match he had seen, and had to admit that it looked like it took a lot of skill. He wondered absentmindedly if you needed to have innate magic in order to fly a broom.

Hermione and Viktor came into the room, grins on their faces and hands intertwined with each other. Viktor whispered something in her ear and she giggled.

"Has mum started trying to change the ministry?" she asked her father.

"I'm fairly certain that she hasn't had quite that much time. But she's certainly grilling Ivanna about everything related to the statute of secrecy in every magical country. Did you know it's almost nonexistent in America?"

Hermione shook her head. "I know the Americans are fa weird sort, but I never thought they'd go as far as that."

"They aren't supposed to do magic needlessly in front of non-magic folks, but they have a very unusual culture. Turns out that's why they won the war back in the 1700's," Mr. Granger mused.

Hermione hummed a response and wandered off to find her mother, leaving her father and Viktor to talk, presumably about quidditch.

"And you're certain that witches and wizards are more than capable of surviving witch burning?" Mrs Granger asked.

"Considering that it's something they still teach students to do at Durmstrang, yes. Besides, there would likely be a lot less magical families if they had succeeded at that."

Hermione leant her weight against the doorframe of the library as her mother gathered up books upon books to read. In that moment Hermione could see herself in her mother, even if she didn't always feel like it.

They shared the same brown eyes, but Helena Granger's hair was a smooth deep auburn. It was almost fully red, but not quite. Other than that, they looked fairly similar for mother and daughter, but Hermione had sometimes felt more like her father. Apart from his passion for sports.

"Found something interesting, Mum?" Hermione asked.

"Beyond interesting, fascinating. Can you imagine how much muggles would pay to go to quidditch games? And I think your father was set on interrogating your boyfriend about how to get a broom himself," Mrs Granger said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just what I need. One more quidditch crazed man in my life."

"You did want him to be part of your world," Mrs Granger said.

"I do. I just don't know if I'll be able to deal with it. Rugby, football, and quidditch. It's going to be a madhouse."

"It is. But I doubt you'd have it any other way."

* * *

A/N: So I guess there are a few things that need to be cleared up. Both of Hermione's parents know about her communication with Viktor, but she hasn't really gone into detail about it with them. And they aren't exactly thrilled about writing on her arm. It's a habit they know will likely continue her entire life, but have still tried to stop.

And I have an idea that seems better than sending the Grangers off to Australia with their memories modified. I'm really excited. I love alternate universes. I am an almighty and powerful god. (Road to El-Dorado seems stuck in my head.)


	33. Chapter 33

Hermione found that she liked being back in Britain, and liked the idea of going back to school. Not being able to see Viktor as much as she liked was a pain, but she hoped that with the start of school things would get easier. It didn't help any that the Weasleys had brought her to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

It might have been Sirius' home, but it was decrepit and more than a little creepy. Hermione shuddered at the thought of the house elves that had been beheaded to decorate the walls. The Black family was certainly not one of the gentler ones.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled. "Thank goodness you're here."

"Yes Ron, I'm here," she said. She looked around at the other Weasleys and a few of the other people who she had little idea who any of them were.

"Don't worry about him," one of the twins said.

"He just thinks that now you're here there will be less chores," the other one finished.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "As if. Now that I'm here I'm sure your mum will just make everyone work more. Or have more work for all of us to do. After all, this place feels weird."

The house did feel weird. And it wasn't necessarily due to the fact that it was hidden until she'd been handed a piece of paper with the address on it, though that was certainly weird. But the house felt, wrong. As if it was alive and sick.

"Alright, alright," Harry's voice came from the entrance.

"Harry?" Hermione asked turning back towards the door.

"Harry!" Ron yelled. He was way more excited to see Harry than he had been to see her. But it was alright.

"You guys could have told me this was where you'd been. Not a single letter all summer?" He didn't look angry, just disappointed. And that made it even worse.

"Don't look at me," she said. "I got here just a few minutes before you. And," she pulled out a bunch of pictures and souvenirs from her bag and passed them around, "I wanted to give these to you guys in person."

"Besides," Fred said.

"She was in Bulgaria," George finished.

"Who knows what…"

"…might have happened to any poor owl trying to fly that far."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the twin speak. Thankfully they didn't do it often around her, but she suspected that it probably had more to do with them not being particularly close friends.

"I did miss you guys," she said.

"Not as much as I bet you miss your boyfriend," Fred said.

Hermione shoved him into his twin. While it was true, she had missed her friends. And she hadn't been intending to tell them that.

"Hey guys," Harry said, "play nice. Hermione just got back and I'm sure she's as tired as I am."

Ginny peered around the china hutch she had been clearing out. "You'll be bunking with me; do you want me to show you?"

Hermione nodded. She really did want to go to sleep, and she wanted to avoid talking to the boys for a bit longer.

The girls headed up the stairs, Hermione's stuff with them. They were sharing one of the smaller rooms, since it would only be the two of them, compared to the boys who were seemingly being shoved into every spare corner.

"So how was Bulgaria?" Ginny asked.

"Wonderful," Hermione said. "I had an amazing time, though I think my mum's going to try to abolish the statute of secrecy. Honestly, I blame my dad."

"What?" Ginny asked. "That's got to be the craziest thing I've heard you say. And trust me, you say some crazy things when you're tired."

Hermione flopped down onto the bed. "My mum thinks that the statute of secrecy is crazy, since muggle borns exist, and quite a number of wizarding folks have married muggles. She says it would cause a lot less stress if it was abolished."

She wasn't aware that her hair was growing bushier by the minute, escaping from the braid that she'd managed to confine it in that morning. Her nerves always made her hair worse, but she hadn't really noticed much.

"Your mum is about as crazy as you."

"Tell me something I don't know," Hermione said. She pushed herself up off the bed and reached into the duffle bag she had brought with her to find her pyjamas.

"Don't tell me you're going to go to bed now?" Ginny whined.

"Ginny, Bulgaria is two hours ahead of us. And I spent three hours on a plane. I'm exhausted." Hermione took her toiletries and pyjamas and opened the door. "Now where's the bathroom?"

"Third door to the left."

* * *

The next morning Hermione woke up at what was eight in Bulgaria. It was six in Britain, and that meant that Ginny was still soundly asleep. And for Hermione, that was perfectly fine.

 _Hi there,_ Hermione wrote.

 _Good morning. Aren't you up early?_ Viktor asked her.

 _Not for me. I'm still on the same sleep schedule I was on yesterday,_ she wrote. She knew full well that he was teasing her, but she sometimes liked to tease him back.

 _Well then, you'll know I have practice soon. As much as I want to talk to you, I'm going to have to leave soon._

Hermione sighed. She was aware of the situation. As much as she wasn't always thrilled with Viktor's practice schedule, she had to admit that his team had dedication. And he really did want to be the best seeker he could possibly be.

 _I know. I just wanted to talk to you before you left. Even if it was just for a few minutes._

 _Just one of the reasons I love you,_ Viktor wrote.

Hermione blushed. Though Viktor had said stuff like that before, she still felt butterflies in her stomach every time he did so.

 _I'll talk to you later._

She cleaned herself up and got ready for the day before there was any sign of life in the house. She was fully dressed and down in the kitchen drinking a mug of tea when Mrs Weasley came in to cook breakfast.

"Hermione, you're up early," she said.

"Not particularly. Bulgaria's two hours ahead, and I like to keep in contact with Viktor."

Mrs Weasley looked over Hermione appraisingly. "How exactly do you manage that? Floo calling?"

Hermione blushed, realising that she had admitted more than she had intended. She pulled up her left sleeve. There were streaks of ink on her arm, and words written in Bulgarian. Those were still as sharp as they had been when they were first written.

"I write Viktor and he writes back."

Mrs Weasley's eyes grew wide. She had heard of such things, but they were beyond rare. They were so rare that had Hermione been born a hundred years ago, she and Viktor would have been practically engaged the moment they met.

"Soulmates?" she whispered.

Hermione nodded and pulled her sleeve back down. She'd forgone long sleeves in Bulgaria but found that the more time she spent with Viktor, the less ink she had on her person. Back in Britain, she found that it was hard to leave her arm unmarked.

Mrs Weasley sighed as softly as she could manage. She had always hoped that Ron would see the obvious and admit his feelings for Hermione. But knowing what she did, she was happy that Hermione had found Viktor.

"I guess this means things are happening a little differently than you expected."

"I certainly didn't think that I'd be learning Bulgarian. My writing's fine, but speaking is another matter. And no one here knows enough for me to practice with them," Hermione admitted. "And I certainly didn't expect to fall for a quidditch player."

Mrs Weasley smiled as she pulled out the stuff for breakfast. "With the way you felt about it, we suspected that you wouldn't. But you don't get to choose what the person you love enjoys."

"Can I help you make breakfast?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely."

The next few days were filled with cooking, cleaning, and Order meetings for the adults. Hermione found that she was helping with the cooking more than the cleaning, not that she minded. She wasn't particularly fond of the idea of dealing with the doxy infestation.

Mrs Weasley was more than competent in cooking and could feed even more people than those who were staying with them. But with Order meetings, directing the cleaning, and keeping Fred and George in line, it was much easier to do things with an extra pair of hands.

Hermione found that it was much easier to keep her mind off certain things if she was busy. And so she kept herself busy, talking to Viktor in the morning and evening, cleaning and cooking all through the day. It wasn't always fun, but it made her feel like she was getting something done.

She worked alongside Winky, asking questions about house elves and all sorts of old magic. She was learning more than she had in a long time, and was glad. Before she had even realised it, it was time to go back to school.

* * *

A/N: I'm super excited for fifth year. Even with Umbridge. She's a fun villain, even if I absolutely hate her. And there's so much to do and play with. This is exciting. Also, I hope everyone's doing well. I know a lot of people have finals, or are finishing up with them. So good luck to all of you in school. I hope you do well.


	34. Chapter 34

Hermione flopped down into the compartment across from Neville and Padma. She groaned as she settled into the seat, having just finished her first patrol as a prefect. She was fairly certain that the year was going to be even more stressful.

Ron had been made the other Gryffindor prefect. Hermione wasn't sure what Professor McGonagall was thinking. Ron wouldn't have been her first, or even second, choice.

Neville would have been Hermione's first choice. He was kind, studious, and everything that a student should be. But there was the little matter of his classmates not respecting him. Even so, he was better than Ron.

Dean Thomas would have been her second choice. Seamus was out due to his uncanny ability to catch even innocuous things on fire. But Ron was at the bottom of her list if he even made it.

"Bad patrol?" Neville asked. He'd been informed of her prefect status the minute she had found out.

"You have no idea. Ron spent the whole time complaining. He was so excited to be a prefect. And now all he wants to do is have the status without any of the responsibility." She leant forward onto her hands, trying to ignore reality.

"Why did he even get to be prefect?" Padma asked.

Both Hermione and Neville shrugged. They didn't have any ideas. Even Harry wasn't sure, though it was obvious he was relatively hurt since his best friend was a prefect and he wasn't. Hermione suspected that it was an effort to keep his life as stress-free as possible, though there wasn't a good way to say that.

"I'm just glad it isn't me," Neville said. "I don't think I could work on my potions the way I need to and handle all the things a prefect has to do."

"Same here," Padma said. "Not that I couldn't handle it, but it would cut into my time drastically. And I've already got things that I want to research."

Hermione smiled. She was studious, but she wasn't quite like Ravenclaws. They were innately curious and wanted to learn for the sake of learning. It was truly fascinating to see the way they functioned. And Hermione was glad to be friends with Padma, even if she thought that she could easily go overboard.

"I'm actually looking forward to the distraction," she said.

"Viktor?" Neville asked Padma.

"What else?"

"When you two start dating someone seriously, I get to tease you about it," Hermione said. "It's only fair."

The two of them smirked. They were only fifteen. It wasn't as if they had any plans on dating someone the way that Hermione was. And they weren't sure that with the way things were going, they would date someone like that soon.

"When that happens we'll be sure to let you know," Neville said sarcastically.

"I'll know."

The rest of the ride up to Hogwarts was relatively calm. Hermione found that she had missed Neville and Padma just as much as Ron and Harry. And possibly more than Ron. But in the carriages up to the castle, she made a point to ride with the boys.

"How's Neville?" Harry asked.

"He seems to be doing well," Hermione said. "I'm sorry to say I wrote him about as much as I wrote you guys."

* * *

Hermione stared her plate down as she tried to drown out the voice of the pink toad. Umbridge was a horrible woman, and it radiated off her without her even having to speak. But speak she did.

"What's she mean by that?" Harry mumbled.

"She means that the ministry is watching us," Hermione muttered to her plate as food materialised before them.

The feast was more somber than years past. Hermione wished that she and Neville could go sit at the Ravenclaw table. But the sorting feast was one of the two times when house loyalties were strictly enforced, even if it was mostly by the students.

She was so glad when the feast was over and she was able to go to her room. She dug through her stuff for the letter she had started for Viktor the day before. It was already about four feet long, but she found that she had so much to say.

She'd written about Harry's trial, and how ridiculous it was that Harry couldn't even save his own cousin from Dementors because of the statute of secrecy. It seemed like her mother was onto something. She asked for any recommendations of history records that she could use to help.

She then talked about cleaning up a house that had been empty for far too many years for it to be comfortable. Doxy infestations were one of the least of her worries. The dark artefacts that littered the house were one of the most pressing issues on her mind.

Hermione was aware of the way they taught the dark arts at Durmstrang. She had half a mind to ask if it would be possible to include him in their efforts. But she knew that there were quite a few members of the order who were sceptical of him.

She wrote about the responsibilities of being a prefect, even though she only had half a day under her belt. She expressed her nervousness about being able to keep up with her studies and all the other things she needed to do.

Pouring her heart out on the parchment was easy, but she found that she didn't get the relief that she wanted. She pulled out the ballpoint pen and held it over her arm as she thought about everything.

 _Viktor?_

 _I'm here._

Hermione smiled. He could be silly when he felt like it. And it appeared that he felt a little silly right then.

 _Where else would you be? I hope you haven't lost an arm,_ she teased.

 _If I do, you'll be the first to know. But I'm fine._

 _I miss you._

She missed the way he smelt, a combination of sunshine, grass, and what she liked to think of as happiness. She missed the way he would fold her into his arms whenever she was stressing about something. She missed him.

 _I miss you too. It's less fun to play quidditch without you watching me._

 _You just mean that it's less fun without my parents to cheer shamelessly for you and ask questions that only you can answer._

 _Perhaps. But I find that I keep looking for a girl with wild brown hair in the stands. And you're not there._

 _If it's any consolation, I keep looking for a ship in the lake. And it's not there. And we've only been here a day._

Hermione was sure that by the end of the year she would be more used to looking out at the lake, and only getting a glimpse of the giant squid if anything breached the surface of the water. But at the time, it was hard to remember that everything was going to be different.

 _I'll see you as soon as I can,_ Viktor promised.

 _And I have a letter for you. I'm not quite done with it, but you should get it by the end of the week._

She could almost feel his smile spread across his face. While writing each other the way they did every day, she almost burst every time she got a letter from him. She was almost certain that he felt the same way.

 _I look forward to it,_ Viktor wrote.

 _Go to sleep. You need your rest._

 _Only as long as you promise me that you'll get enough sleep too._

 _Deal._

Hermione smiled as Viktor's words disappeared from her skin. He only did that when he was going to sleep and didn't want to spend hours looking at her words. She waved her wand and the ink vanished. She grabbed her pyjamas and headed to the bathroom.

"How was your summer?" Lavender Brown asked.

"Pretty good. I managed to take my parents to a quidditch game."

Lavender looked confused. "Aren't your parents muggles?"

Hermione nodded. "Just because the anti-muggle charms on the world cup are so strong they would head home even if they had tickets doesn't mean that all the games are warded that well."

Lavender thought it over. "I'm glad you got that chance. It's nice to go to a game with your family."

"Even if your mother decides that she's going to single-handedly overthrow the statute of secrecy," Hermione said under her breath.

She got ready for bed and curled up under her covers. As she drifted off to sleep she wondered what Viktor would do if he had to deal with Umbridge.

* * *

A/N: So I discovered that Umbridge was a Hufflepuff when she was at Hogwarts. Interesting tidbit of information. I don't know how I feel about that since she's one of the major villains of the series. On one hand, it does add to the complexity of the houses. On the other, she doesn't strike me as a typical Hufflepuff. I guess I should be more open minded.


	35. Chapter 35

Hermione was early at breakfast. Most of the students had gotten into a habit of staying up late and sleeping in. It wasn't a horrible thing or even unexpected for teenagers. It just made the first few days of school a little tricky in the mornings.

Hermione drank her pumpkin juice as she finished her letter. She was fairly satisfied with it and would mail it off before her first class, which was transfiguration. Then there was an owl standing in front of her plate.

"What have we here?" she cooed.

She pulled the scroll off the owl's leg and handed it a piece of bacon before it flew off. Apparently whoever had sent it wasn't expecting an immediate response.

She unrolled the parchment and was shocked to find what was written there.

 **Hermione,**

 **I know we aren't particularly close. We've probably spoken about three or four times. Unfortunate.**

 **Anyway. Cassius and I are getting married. I hope that we can count on you and Viktor to be there. We would greatly appreciate your presence. We're planning on having it sometime during the break, so don't worry about school. And of course, you'll get a proper invitation.**

 **Cedric Diggory**

 **PS. I'm hoping we can get to be friends. Or at least better acquaintances.**

Hermione rolled the scroll back up. She would have to add that to her letter to Viktor. She scribbled a postscript onto her letter and told him she would explain better later. She was excited as she thought about the wedding she was planning on going to.

Neville trudged down, wiping the sleep from his eyes at what most of the teachers would consider a reasonable hour.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked

"I spent a lot of my summer in Bulgaria," she said. "It's two hours earlier than here."

"And? You've been back for a few weeks. You should be on our timetable now."

"I like to talk to Viktor before he heads off to quidditch practice," Hermione admitted.

Neville nodded as he spread orange marmalade all over his toast. He thought that Hermione was weird, but he wasn't going to say that to her face. She was terrifying when she was angry. And getting her worked up before classes even started sounded like a bad idea.

"Hey guys," Padma said as she sat down with them. They were at the Gryffindor table since Hermione had been the first one down. Depending on who got there first, they got to pick where they sat.

"Someone's chipper," Neville said.

"Is there a reason not to be?" Padma retorted.

"The pink toad," Neville said.

The three of them looked at the teacher's table and shuddered. Half of the teachers weren't there, for one reason or another. But Umbridge sat there, looking over the few students there as if she ruled over them.

"Guess you're right," Padma said.

"Don't you normally sit at the Ravenclaw table?" Pavarti asked.

"Sometimes," Hermione said. She grabbed another slice of toast and spread jam over it. "We sit wherever who gets here first is."

"I guess that's fine," Pavarti said. "I'm just here because she," she jerked her finger over to Padma, "made me keep a strict schedule over the summer."

Padma rolled her eyes at her Gryffindor sister. "You'll be more prepared for your classes than your friends. And you can't tell me that you're feeling more tired than last year."

Pavarti sighed. "No. But only because I fell asleep just after she did," she pointed at Hermione. "I wasn't even trying to."

Hermione smiled. She knew what it was like to have a day so full that you just sort of fell asleep after everything was done. And she knew how close Lavender and Pavarti were. They had stayed up gossiping all the year before. And if Pavarti had simply fallen asleep, it was definitely not planned.

"You'll be grateful for it by the end of the week," Neville said. "My gran did it last year, and it was a lifesaver."

"Besides, you get to eat breakfast with us before things get busy," Hermione said. "It's nice and quiet."

Pavarti sunk down and lay her head on the table. "I know. I don't like the quiet."

Neville and Hermione looked at each other and then at the twins. It was obvious that Padma and Pavarti weren't incredibly similar, in spite of the fact that they looked almost identical. But there was a reason they had been placed in different houses.

"What do you want to talk about then?" Hermione asked.

"We could discuss the difficulties of growing tropical plants in a temperate climate," Neville said.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think we need to go there before our first herbology lesson."

"I don't know what she wants to talk about," Neville hissed.

"Ask her."

Harry and Ron came down, rubbing their eyes. It was clear that they were still half asleep, if not more.

"Whoa Padma, there are two of you," Harry said.

"That's pretty normal with being a twin," Padma shot back.

"Hi Pavarti," Ron said. "You're not normally up this early."

"Neither are you," she snapped.

"Yeah, but it's the first day of class and Mione would kill us if we weren't there on time."

Though it wasn't the first time Ron had called her that, she felt her annoyance at the nickname rise. She hadn't ever said anything, but she was starting to think that she should. Maybe then Ron would stop the habit.

"We have transfiguration first," Hermione said. "If I don't kill you, Professor McGonagall will."

The boys shared a look as they imagined being eaten alive. It wasn't that McGonagall would eat them, so much as whatever she might do would be on the same level of horrific-ness. She wasn't the kind of woman who allowed tardiness at all.

* * *

Defence against the dark arts was the class that most of the student population was dreading. Hermione had an idea of what might go on, but she was appalled to find out that the ministry wanted them to do "pure theoretical work." It was heinous.

Harry, though, couldn't keep his big mouth shut. Hermione wasn't sure if that was part of his hero complex, or if it was his need to prove himself. It wasn't enough for him that he had managed to save Cedric Diggory. He had to save everyone he could.

Hermione cursed herself for being friends with him. She could still remember the troll incident from first year, and almost cursed herself for not realising earlier that he had a hero complex. She could have saved herself a lot of trouble if she had.

She had spent the rest of the day being worried over what would happen at Harry's detention. She would have written Viktor, but she didn't want to spoil that time with her worry. But as she felt herself tense up as the hours passed, she realised she wanted him there with her.

"Need to talk," Neville asked.

Hermione set her homework down on the table and sighed. Neville knew her far better than she would have liked under the circumstances. She rubbed her temples wearily.

"I guess so, but the person I want to talk to isn't here."

Neville handed her a pen. "I bet he's waiting for you to talk to him."

Hermione took the writing utensil from him, a grateful smile on her face. "How do you know?"

"I know how I felt over the summer when you didn't write," he said. "I know you were busy and I don't really mind that you'd rather spend time with Krum than me. But I wished I could talk to one of my best friends."

"I'm really sorry about that," she said.

"Don't be. Padma sent letters that were as long as that one you sent to Krum. And my gran has been kind enough to set up a greenhouse for me."

"That's nice. I guess you kept yourself busy."

"That's one way of putting it. Harry says you spent the last two weeks of the summer with him and the Weasleys."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I did. Someone thought I'd be safer there than at home, so I guess it was a good thing my parents came to Bulgaria with me. Even if my mother did get some ideas in her head."

"Oh no."

It was no secret that Hermione's tendency to get carried away came from her mother. Neville had only met her once, but he knew that if she was pursuing something, nothing would get in her way. And the fact that it had happened relatively early in the summer only seemed to confirm his suspicions.

"Tell me about it," Hermione moaned. "She's decided to overthrow the statute of secrecy."

Neville's jaw dropped. "Can she do that?"

"Apparently in America, they don't have the same laws. She's working on drafting a proposal similar to theirs. Apparently, it would cause a lot less stress if there weren't so many rules and regulations surrounding the magical community."

Neville thought over her words. He was afraid that he wasn't really all that familiar with all the laws regarding different countries. He wasn't really all that familiar with those of his own, but he was only fifteen.

"I guess I wouldn't know," he admitted. "Being a pureblood really means that you don't have to think about those sort of things often."

"But wouldn't it be nice to know that you could use magic no matter who was watching if it really mattered?" Hermione asked. Her voice was growing impassioned, and it wasn't hard to see that she really believed in what her mother was doing.

"Probably. I thought we had rules about that."

"We supposedly do. But Harry used a patronus to save his cousin, his cousin, over the summer and wound up in court."

"Oh Merlin," Neville cursed. "Someone's trying to lock up Harry."

"I know."

"Go talk to your boyfriend," Neville said. "I do have homework to finish. And it will be easier to finish without you prattling on." He said it all with a smile, so Hermione knew that Neville was only teasing her.

She picked up her stuff and headed up to her room. She did want to talk to Viktor, but found that ranting to Neville was also fairly calming. She was certain that she would be doing it more as the semester went on.

 _Viktor, are you free to talk?_ She wrote.

 _Yes._

Hermione felt herself relax at that one word. It was strange how much he could change her mood, with only a few strokes of a pen. And she was fairly certain he was using a pen.

One of the things that Hermione had given Viktor had been a box of pens. They were the bic kind, where there were so many of them that a person could easily lose count. But she wanted him to have enough that he wouldn't need to worry about running out.

 _How was quidditch practice?_

 _About the same as all the others. Coach says that we'll be doing some different exercises next month, but for now, it's pretty much the same as all the other practices we've had so far._

 _I think he's holding off on tiring you guys out before the big game at the end of the month._

The Vultures, Viktor's team when he wasn't playing for the world cup, was playing their largest rivals, the Sophoclean Sirens. They were a Greek team, and doing incredibly well that season. But so were the Vultures.

 _Speaking of that, I've invited your father over for that. He seems a little nervous about magical travel. Is there anything you could say to him? Flying the muggle way takes much longer._

Hermione was touched that Viktor was trying to build a relationship with her father. Both of their mothers got on like a house on fire. Sometimes it was a little worrying. But she was more worried that her father wouldn't approve of her dating Viktor.

Apparently, she needn't have worried as much as she did. She was already going over certain points to share with her father in her head. She wasn't sure what would be more convincing, but having time was one she was sure he would like.

She pulled out a sheet of paper and jotted down a few points before turning back to her arm.

 _I'll talk to him. He won't like the way it feels like you're twisted through a sieve, but he'll be fine. Anything else interesting happen today?_

 _Not really. How's school going?_

She sighed heavily, leaning back against the pillow on her bed. It was the thing she really didn't want to talk about, but she was fairly certain that it was going to come up sooner or later.

 _We have this horrible new defence against the dark arts teacher. She's from the ministry, and she gave Harry detention tonight for talking back. I know he should have shut up, but it's hard to get that boy to do anything he doesn't want to._

 _Don't worry,_ Viktor wrote. _He will learn. He's a smart kid, even with that unnatural ability to get himself into trouble._

 _I know, but he's like a brother. I'm always going to worry about him._

 _More than you worry about me?_ he teased.

 _No. But I also don't think of you as a brother._

 _I should hope not._

There was a bit of a clamour downstairs and Hermione grabbed her robe.

 _I think Harry just got back. I'll talk to you later._

She threw the robe over her uniform and rolled her left sleeve down with practised ease as she ran down the steps to find Harry flopped down on one of the couches. His left hand was bandaged up sloppily and was still obviously bleeding.

"Oh Harry," she murmured as she pushed his hair out of his face. "I guess it was pretty bad."

"Horrible. Do you have anything to make it stop hurting?"

"Wait here." She ran up to her room to get some murtlap essence she had been getting ready for a side potions project. She was just grateful she had it.

* * *

A/N: So I've been corrected on Umbridge. Apparently on Pottermore she's a Slytherin. But with my habit of ignoring canon (see above story for evidence of that) I'm going to continue to ignore that fact. I really hate the fact that Rowling seems to throw almost all of her bad guys in Slytherin. Also, this chapter was a bit longer than I had originally anticipated. That's not a bad thing, just suprising. Hope you guys enjoy it.


	36. Chapter 36

Hermione found herself fretting over the first Hogsmeade weekend. She was meeting Viktor there for a few hours and then lunch. And she wanted everything to be perfect.

"Why is this so hard?" she nearly screamed as she flung robes back into her trunk.

"Because you haven't seen Viktor in almost two months. And he said he was bringing your birthday present today," Padma said.

Hermione sat down on her bed, and ran her hands through her hair. It was nice to have someone who understood. Ron and Harry thought that she was nuts, and Neville wasn't sure how to talk with her about it. He thought that Krum would love to see her, no matter what she looked like.

While it was true that Viktor wouldn't care what she wore, she found that she was putting in more and more effort every time she saw him. And she didn't have a logical reason for it.

"Hermione," Padma said. "If you don't calm down I'm going to wake Pavarti up to pick out your clothes."

Hermione winced. Pavarti was a talented witch when it came to pulling things together, but she was not a morning person. And if there was one person you didn't want to wake up before noon on a Saturday, it was Pavarti. Even if Lavender was a close second.

"Please don't do that. Surely she's taught you something about pulling outfits together."

"She has, but she's still better at it than I am. I find potions far too appealing to worry about what I'm wearing half of the time," the Ravenclaw said.

Hermione slid to the floor and pulled out a light lavender lace sweater. "What do you think we could do with this?"

Padma let out a low whistle. "Hermione, I know you're stunning but we don't need to blind the guy."

If there was one thing that she could have said to relax Hermione, that was it. The Gryffindor laughed, her nerves running off her.

"Thanks Padma. I guess you're right. It would be hard to be a seeker if you can't actually seek. But I do like that sweater."

"I figured. You wouldn't have pulled it out if you didn't like it. Besides, I think I might be able to make the "Bulgarian bon-bon" faint if I do this right."

The girls laughed softly, very aware of the sleeping forms around them. Though the curtains were spelled so that the noise from the dorm wouldn't wake anyone up, they didn't want to be obnoxious. That was just rude.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Ten minutes later, and Hermione felt like she wasn't looking back at herself. She was dressed nicely, and her hair was actually pulled back into some semblance of order. She didn't often look at herself in the mirror, but she found that she liked the way she looked.

Perhaps it was the happiness that managed to seep out of her. Perhaps it was the fact that she was wearing something other than school robes. Whatever the reason, she felt more vibrant than she had in far too long.

She almost ran out of the castle and all the way down to the village. The main thing stopping her was her shoes. Padma had picked out white ballet slippers and they weren't the best shoes for running in. Which meant it was faster to wait for a carriage.

She was ready to bolt out the door when the carriage finally came to a stop in the village. She managed to refrain from doing so, with a tremendous amount of self-control. She suspected it was years of managing Harry and Ron that had developed it.

She walked slowly around the village, taking in the air and the sights. She was just starting to get a hold of her nerves when she saw him.

Hermione flew towards Viktor and practically leapt into his arms. He hugged her tightly, as if he hadn't seen her in years. It might have only been a few months, but that felt far too long. It was comforting to just be together again, even if they had sort of spoken each day.

"Her-me-own," Viktor said.

"You're getting better," Hermione said. "Soon you'll be able to say my name without any trouble at all."

He pulled her close and kissed her. She melted into his embrace, wanting him to stay. She knew it wasn't logical. She knew it wasn't even practical. But she still wanted him there.

"I haff missed you," Viktor said.

"Me too. I thought keeping busy would help, but it only does so much. You probably know how much I wanted to just sit with you."

Viktor did have a clue. It was about as much as he wanted to hold her in his arms. He feared the worst, and her description of Harry's detention had only increased that fear. He was reluctant to let her pull away, but knew he needed to. He still kept a hold of her hand, which she didn't protest.

"How is Harry?" Viktor asked.

Hermione shrugged. "He's fine. He'd be doing better if someone would answer his questions, but I don't know any more than he does."

"I guess that would be a bit annoying."

"Let's not talk about Harry," Hermione said. "I just want to enjoy my time with you, before you have to leave for Bulgaria."

They wandered through the village, talking about everything under the sun. Around lunch time, the rest of the students started to trickle down from the castle. Hermione and Viktor ducked into the Three Broomsticks for lunch, and a slightly more private space.

Viktor shifted nervously on his feet as they were led to one of the booths in the corner. Hermione wasn't sure what he had to be nervous about, but squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"You don't have anything to worry about," she whispered. "I think the entire wizarding world knows that we're dating."

"That's not vhat I am vorried about," Viktor said.

"Whatever it could be, I'm sure it's not as big a deal as I think you're making it out to be."

Viktor pulled out a small box from his pocket and placed it in Hermione's hands. She was surprised that he was afraid of what she might think of whatever it was. She put the box down and leaned over the table to kiss him on the cheek.

"No matter what it is, I think I'll love it just because you picked it out."

"Open it," he insisted.

She gently pulled the ribbon off the box and lifted the lid. Inside the box was a necklace of gold with a mother-of-pearl pendant.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"I know it's probably presumptuous of me to give you jewelry, but I vould give you the vorld if you asked," Viktor said.

Hermione knew that it wasn't typical for purebloods to give jewelry to anyone who they weren't engaged, or betrothed, to. She was also aware that she wasn't going to let Viktor go anytime soon, and it looked like he felt the same way.

"Help me put it on?" she asked.

She held her hair out of the way as Viktor clasped the necklace around her neck. It settled there as if it was meant for her, and it was. But it was lighter than she had anticipated.

"You look beautiful."

Hermione blushed. "You say that every time you see me."

"I say it because you are."

She blushed, dropping her gaze to the table. She knew that Viktor thought her beautiful. And she had gone to a decent amount of effort that day, but she couldn't help the feeling that bubbled up in her chest.

"Thank you."

They ate lunch, talking in hushed tones. They didn't really want to make the front page of the Prophet, even if Hermione had accepted Viktor's necklace. But they still didn't need the subjects of conversation, at that point a debate on the magical cores of broomsticks, to be plastered all over the papers.

Unfortunately, it ended all too soon, and Viktor had to go back to Bulgaria for a family dinner. It was just him and his parents, but that didn't mean he wouldn't get into trouble if he wasn't there.

"Hey Hermione," a soft dreamy voice said.

Hermione looked over to her left and there was a blonde girl with radish earrings. "Hi Luna," she said.

"You seem happy," Luna said. "I guess your visitor had something to do with that."

Hermione flushed. "He did. But don't tell him that. Or Ron and Harry. Especially Ron."

"Oh, don't worry about me." Luna wandered off to go find something.

Hermione shook her head. No matter how much she tried to understand Ravenclaws, she always came up a few pence short of a pound. But she could see Padma and Neville talking about something, and she walked over to them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Hermione," Neville said without really looking.

"He didn't," Padma said.

"I think he did," Hermione responded. "I was there."

"What are you two talking about?" Neville asked.

"Viktor gave me a necklace for my birthday present," Hermione said.

Neville dropped the small rosebush he had purchased, the pot breaking on the ground. His mouth opened and closed, almost like a fish. He couldn't find the words to say.

Hermione pulled her wand out and repaired the pot. Thankfully roses didn't necessarily have any trouble with being repotted, and would survive the incident.

"Thanks," Neville muttered. "I guess I didn't think he would do something like that so soon."

"I didn't really either," Hermione said. "But I can't really imagine anything different. I might not have used that many words, but I do want to spend my life with him by my side."

Padma was grinning like a madwoman. "I can't wait until all the boys see that," she said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I doubt that they'll know where it came from. Or even what it means. I'm sure Harry won't."

"And unless you tell Ron, he'll assume it's something your parents gave you," Neville added.

"Just because Ron isn't willing to admit what's right in front of his face doesn't mean that everyone is," Padma said.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I'm toying with the idea of having Neville and Padma date. Any opinions?


	37. Chapter 37

Neville was outlining and listing sources for his charms essay when Hermione came in from detention with Professor Snape. She looked exhausted, but he wasn't going to mention that to her.

"Rough evening?" he said as casually as he could. Professor Snape might not have been the nightmare inducing creature he had been before third year, but Neville was still frightened of the man.

"You could say that," she said slumping into one of the arm chairs in the common room.

"I'm just glad I didn't have that detention. I'm not as caught up in all my classes as you are."

"I'm not as ahead as I was last year. I know it's my fault, but still. It's impossible to do everything. I'm just glad that I didn't have detention with Umbridge. I'm not sure I'd be able to handle that," Hermione said.

Neville smiled while he pulled out the book from the bottom of the stack. He knew he should keep it closer, since it seemed like it would be the one he used the most for the essay. But he couldn't seem to remind himself to stop stacking books on top of it.

"I guess that's why Padma didn't want to be a prefect," Neville said, not looking up from his work.

"Padma doesn't want to be a prefect because she doesn't like her learning to be constrained by classroom limits. And with Umbridge, I'm seriously thinking she has a point," Hermione said. "Do the Ravenclaws have a study group for defense against the dark arts?"

"Not that I know of. Some of the N.E.W.T. students have been tutoring the O.W.L. ones, but they have enough work to do to keep up on their own."

Hermione was sure that was true. The Ravenclaws were infamous for pursuing more courses than any other house. And more courses meant more work. Especially at higher levels, where students often dropped classes.

"Any chance we could get students to form a study group?" Hermione asked. "I know Umbridge won't like it, but we have O.W.L.s this year. And I don't intend to fail."

"As if you could. You're Hermione Granger. I bet you were ready to take your O.W.L.s last year."

Hermione shook her head. "Not quite. I was a little distracted last year. And unfortunately, I doubt that distraction will ever go away." Her words were a little upset, but her voice was teasing. Even though Viktor wasn't there, Neville had no doubt that he would have understood had he been.

"I guess you'll have to get used to it," he teased back.

"I guess so. How's potions going?"

Neville held up his finished essay. "Just waiting for you to proofread it. I know you haven't finished yours yet, so I'm fairly confident Snape can't say anything about it."

Hermione took the essay from him and read over it, making a few notes as she went. It looked like most of them were spelling errors, or ways to phrase his ideas.

"You've done fairly well," she said. "I'm actually impressed by the information you've managed to put into this."

Neville smiled, and started correcting his work. Hermione had a way of making things easy to understand, and fun to read. Snape couldn't fault most of her work, though he certainly tried. No one could understand why, not even the Slytherins.

Hermione pulled out her homework, and worked on it as best as she could with half her mind. She was still thinking about study groups and wanted to figure out how to make sure that everyone who wanted to could pass their O.W.L.s.

She finished her arithmancy questions, and sighed. There was someone who might be able to help her. Someone who had already finished school, and was fairly proficient at defense. A certain world famous quidditch player, who had recently graduated.

She pulled a pen out of her bag and sat down. She paused, thinking best how to phrase her question.

 _Viktor?_

"What are you doing?" Neville asked.

"Writing Viktor."

She turned back to her arm to find _Hermione_ , scrawled happily onto her arm. She wasn't sure exactly how she knew it was happy, but that was the impression she got from it.

"And you aren't worried about someone seeing that?"

"Seeing what?" Harry asked.

"Nothing important." Hermione tugged her sleeve down with practiced ease.

Even though Harry knew how she and Viktor could talk, she didn't like to admit how much she did. Or how much she relied on him. Hermione knew Neville understood, but he was the only one she was totally comfortable sharing that sort of information with.

Even Padma, who she was sure wouldn't judge her, wasn't informed about her eagerness to talk to Viktor. She normally waited until she was alone to write to him, unless it was a letter. Then she didn't really care.

Harry and Neville shared a look of disbelief at her comment. There was a spark of understanding between them as Neville pointed at Hermione's pen.

"Viktor?" Harry asked.

Hermione groaned, settling deeper into her chair. "I hate that you guys know me so well."

"Not as well as Viktor Krum does," Harry teased.

Hermione flushed. "I haven't known him as long as I've known you two," she protested.

"Doesn't matter," Neville said. "You put him above just about everyone else."

Hermione couldn't rebuff him. She wanted to. She knew that she cared deeply for her friends, but Viktor was sort of in a separate category. He was both her friend, and not her friend at the same time.

"I was wanting to think about what he would say about a study group for defense against the dark arts," Hermione relented. "I wasn't expecting you guys to gang up on me."

Neville and Harry laughed. Harry might have not become as close with Neville as Hermione was, but they were friends all the same. And they both found it fun, perhaps a little too fun, to get under Hermione's skin.

"You should know better by now," Harry said.

"That they boys who I think of like brothers would bug me like Fred and George bug Ron," Hermione said. "I should have known."

Both Neville and Harry looked shocked at her revelation. While they had both thought of her as a sister, neither of them had ever said anything. And they were certainly surprised to know that she felt the same way. Though, they shouldn't have been.

"But I think it's great that you want to form a group to study defense," Harry said. "We're going to need it."

"I know." Hermione pulled her sleeve and found a few questioning marks on her arm.

 _Sorry. I got a little sidetracked with Harry arguing with me. We were talking about forming a study group so that we can actually deal with You-know-who. And pass our O.W.L.s at the end of the year,_ she scribbled.

 _That's a good idea. But you'll need someone to lead the sessions. Do you have anyone in mind?_

"What's he think?" Harry asked.

"He says that we need someone to be in charge," Hermione said. "Any ideas?"

"You," Harry said immediately.

He had moderately sound reasoning. Hermione was considered the smartest witch in their year, possibly out of the entire school. But she knew that she wasn't particularly skilled in defense against the dark arts, and adding that on top of her prefect duties would be stifling.

"No. I'm not that great. I can read, but defense is more practical. I'm not sure I'd be the best choice."

"How about you Harry?" Neville said.

"Now that's an idea. You've survived practically everything that's been thrown at you," Hermione said. "Quirrel, the basilisk, and even the tournament last year. I'm sure you'd be competent enough to get us to pass our O.W.L.s."

"Maybe."

Harry didn't like to admit how talented he was in defense against the dark arts. It was almost as if he attempted to avoid the subject as much as possible. He'd been doing that practically from the start of his first year.

"You would be a good choice," Neville said. "Hermione can help you plan out what you want to do, but she's got so much on her plate. She can't be in charge of the whole thing."

Harry sighed. "Yeah, Ron's been talking about how being a prefect has cut into his time. Not that he had much to do in the first place. But he was wanting to try out for the quidditch team."

They all agreed it was a good idea. Ron would be less miserable with something productive, other than schoolwork, to do. And quidditch was something he loved.

They settled down in their corner of the common room. Neville finished his work. Harry started his. And Hermione worked on her plethora of projects. Though she continued to write to Viktor for the evening, a small smile gracing her face every time he answered her.

* * *

A/N: So I've gotten a ton of people who think that Padma and Neville would be a good couple. Obviously, that didn't fit into this chapter, but I'm glad to know that people like the idea. I'll get around to it as soon as it feels natural.


	38. Chapter 38

Hermione looked around the group gathered at the Hog's Head. It was strange to see so many people there since the pub was usually empty. The Three Broomsticks was much more popular, and looking at the glasses it was easy to see why.

She listened as they discussed names for their group, and fiddled softly with the parchment she had prepared for their group. It was jinxed so that if anyone told Umbridge about their practices, the rest of the group could tell who it was. It was a rather unfortunate curse.

Viktor had taught her a few things over the summer, and on the few times he managed to see her. He wasn't able to be there that weekend. There was a game going on in Romania. But Hermione wasn't upset. She was grateful that she could focus solely on the task at hand.

She wrote the title Dumbledore's Army across the top of the paper. She had to admit, Ginny was fairly smart. Now she just had to figure out a place to start working. She didn't have an idea, but the castle was huge. Surely there was space.

A number of people signed up to learn from Harry. Hermione was impressed. She knew he had practical skill, even if he didn't like to do his homework. But she couldn't blame him for that, too much. He had a lot on his plate, and homework wasn't always the most important.

Afterwards, they headed up to the castle. Hermione felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her.

"It's rather exciting, breaking the rules," she said.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" Ron joked.

She laughed as she elbowed him gently in the arm. "I'm the same girl I've always been. I think I was the one who stole supplies from Professor Snape in second year."

"I had forgotten about that," Harry said. "I guess you've been just as much a trouble maker as the rest of us."

"Someone has to keep the two of you alive," she said wrapping her arms around Harry and Ron.

"And it has to be you," Ron grumbled.

They walked up to the castle, talking about lesson plans, and ways to keep away from Umbridge. Hermione already had an idea brewing in the back of her mind, but she needed to go to the library to check a few things first.

She left the boys and wound up standing in the stacks of the library, unsure of what she was doing. It was all so strange. So surreal. And there was no guarantee it would work.

"Reading something?" a third year Hufflepuff girl asked.

Hermione wanted to snort. "I'm trying to figure out where I would find what I'm looking for. But I'm not even sure what that would be," she admitted.

"I'm looking for a book on dragons," the girl said. "Everyone says you know the library better than anyone. And you're less scary than Pince."

Hermione smiled. She did know the library better than most of the rest of the student population, save for some of the higher level Ravenclaws. But she was the only one who Madame Pince trusted alone in the place. And that was a rather high measure of status in her book.

She helped the Hufflepuff find a book that fit her specifications. She was reading up since the Triwizard tournament. She was determined to be the next champion if they ever brought the event back.

Hermione was impressed. It took a lot of dedication for someone to come to that conclusion, especially since the tournament hadn't really been discussed since the previous year. And with Umbridge, people didn't do a lot of talking about it.

It probably had a lot to do with Madame Maxine and Umbridge's strong distaste for anyone who wasn't a full blooded wizard. Hermione thought that was a load of codswallop since she'd done some research and found out that Umbridge herself was a "half-blood," but there wasn't much she could do about that.

She found a book on basic defence, thinking that if she could figure something out for helping first years things would go smoother, and headed back to the common room. She almost walked into Malfoy, though she ducked up the stairs just in time.

Malfoy might have been a prefect, but that didn't make Hermione any more comfortable in his presence. If anything, it made him even more intolerable to be around.

* * *

It was dinner, and Hermione was itching to get back up to her dorm. She had picked at her food but was making an effort to eat, even though she really didn't want to. She really wanted to get back to her room, her planning, and her standing conversation with Viktor.

She had gotten into the habit of sleeping later, even though she had tried very hard not to. But with all the homework she had done and the questions that came after dinner, it had just been easier to stay up later.

Neville noticed her downcast expression, and her swirling her food around on her plate. He scooped up more chicken and potatoes and pushed it in front of her.

"Eat," he ordered.

Hermione stabbed a potato and shoved it in her mouth, but not before sticking her tongue out at Neville. He meant well, but she didn't like being told what to do. Especially when she knew that she should already be doing it.

"I just don't want to have to deal with your boyfriend if he finds out you haven't been eating. Who knows what he'll do."

Harry paled a little at that comment, but Ron kept eating. Nothing in the world, short of Molly Weasley or some natural disaster, could separate Ron's attention from food. And everyone in Gryffindor knew it.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron and dutifully went on chewing and swallowing before speaking. "I doubt he'd do anything to you guys. Viktor would probably be more concerned with shoving as much food as possible down my throat."

She grimaced before popping another potato into her mouth. It wasn't a great way to phrase things, even if it did get her point across more effectively.

Harry and Neville shared a look.

"I still don't want to be around when that happens," Neville said.

"Even if we aren't in the wrong," Harry added.

Hermione cut her chicken into small pieces and smiled. She knew that her boys, all of them, were fond of each other. Even if Harry and Neville had a healthy dose of fear when it came to Viktor. He was rather strong, even if he only used it for quidditch purposes. Most of the time.

"I still don't think you'd have anything to worry about."

"Even so," Neville said, "I'm going to do the best I can in getting you to eat."

Hermione rolled her eyes and made a big show of finishing off her food. She then gathered up her things and retreated to her dorm.

 _Viktor?_

She waited a moment before checking her arm. Even though they were almost always waiting for each other, it was still anxious to wait and watch for the words forming on her arm. Much better to try and do something for the first few minutes.

 _How was your day?_

 _Pretty good,_ she wrote. _It's rather strange to be doing something so out of the rules, but I guess somebody has to do it. Especially if we want to pass our exams._

 _That's the Hermione I know._

Hermione rolled her eyes. _You know all of me. Better than just about everyone else._

 _There's a reason for that._

 _The same reason that you let me visit you for the summer?_ she teased.

 _And the one you wear around your neck._

Hermione reached to the necklace that she never took off. She was fairly certain that there was some sort of protection spell on it, though she wasn't sure if that was for her or the jewellery. But it was made of high-quality materials, which meant that it wasn't going to rust soon, if ever.

 _I'll have to thank you again for that. It's probably the most beautiful piece of jewellery I've ever owned._

She would have said it was also the most expensive, but she didn't feel it was the best time to say something like that. And she wasn't sure how he would take it.

 _It was chosen with a beautiful lady in mind,_ Viktor wrote.

Hermione couldn't stop the blush that spread over her cheeks. She wanted to. She did manage to keep the sigh in, but only because she didn't want Lavender barging in and demanding to know what was going on.

 _You, sir, flatter me._

 _It's not flattery if it's true._

 _Alright,_ she conceded, _that's enough talk about me. How was your game today?_

 _We won, by about ten points. If it had gone on longer, we would have lost. But I'm glad we didn't. Your dad seemed to like it._

 _What's he doing in Bulgaria?_

 _Your mother's on a trip here with the ministry. She's managed to convince our ministry that the statute of secrecy could be doing more harm than good. But as for how to get rid of it, no one's quite sure how to proceed._

Hermione pulled her sleeve down and made a gargling noise as she flopped down on her bed with a thud.

"Hermione?" Lavender asked. "Are you alright?"

"No," Hermione said. "I just found out that my mother is intent, and working on, upsetting the world as we know it. And she's growing ever closer to reaching her goal."

Even though the curtains were closed, Hermione could almost see the confusion across Lavender's face.

"Isn't your mum a dentist?" she asked.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for being absent lately. I have been working on this. But everything seems to be catching up to me in some sort of sense. I'm just really tired. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon.


	39. Chapter 39

Hermione watched the quidditch match with as much interest as she could muster. The school matches were far less interesting than professional ones, even if there she only cared about one of the players. At least she liked all the players on the Gryffindor team.

She wasn't fond of the Slytherin team, though the only player from their year was Malfoy. And he wasn't a great example of someone that anyone from the other houses would like. She knew that Slytherin mostly stuck to themselves, but that probably didn't help them any outside of Hogwarts.

She sat with Neville and Ron, who were watching the game with way more enthusiasm than she had. They were cheering every time Gryffindor scored a goal.

"What do you think about me trying out for the team next year?" Ron asked.

Hermione paused. She hadn't ever considered it, but most of the Weasleys had played. Fred and George were beaters; Charlie had been quidditch captain for Gryffindor. And they all played together over the holidays.

She realised with a small smile, that there were enough of them to actually form a quidditch team if they didn't want to sub anyone out. She doubted that everyone loved to fly, she couldn't recall Percy ever on a broom, but most of them played.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea Ron," she said. "I just worry about your schedule. Being a prefect, playing quidditch, and keeping up your grades is going to be a lot of work."

"I can do it," Ron said certainly. "I have you to help me," he added under his breath.

Hermione knew it probably wasn't meant for her to hear, but it was true enough that she smiled a little. She would have elbowed him, but she wasn't about to let him know that she had heard him. Not yet.

The match quickly devolved into a fistfight between Malfoy and Harry. Hermione held her breath as the twins joined in, probably due to some insult that Malfoy had hurled knowing they couldn't contain their tempers over that.

Hermione sighed, knowing that the twins were masters of revenge. If it was something that caused them to punch him, it was a low blow indeed.

"What's going on?" Neville asked.

"Harry punched Malfoy," Ron said.

"Malfoy's been taunting Harry the whole game. It's what he does," Hermione added. "I just wish I knew what he had said to get Fred and George to resort to physical violence."

"Whatever it was," Neville said, "it was bad. They usually prank people."

"I know," Hermione said.

Ron had turned bright red. Obviously, he had some sort of idea about what Malfoy had said. And he didn't like it. At all.

Ron turned to storm down to the field when Umbridge walked over. She broke up the match with words that Hermione couldn't hear, no matter what spell she used. She wished she had asked the twins about their extendable ears right then.

The three of them watched as the Gryffindors were dragged away, Malfoy standing there smugly. Even if he was going to have a black eye the next day, he didn't seem bothered by it.

They walked back to the common room, unsure of what to do. They weren't even really sure of the options.

* * *

Hermione wasn't quite sure what to make of the day. Draco Malfoy was certainly climbing high up her list of people to destroy. Or at least, people she didn't ever want to have to interact with after school.

She supposed that was one advantage to dating someone in a foreign country. She wouldn't have to see Malfoy, no matter how influential his family was in the British ministry. He could even be the chief of the Wizengamot and she wouldn't have to deal with him unless she broke the law.

As for Umbridge, she wasn't sure what to do. That was a woman that Hermione would very much like to see dead. And she liked to think that she wasn't exactly capable of even thinking of murder. But for Umbridge, she found herself willing to make an exception.

 _Did Durmstrang have quidditch?_ She asked.

 _Sort of,_ came Viktor's reply. _We had flying class and games. But our games were between teams of friends. Similar to the fun college sports your father was telling me about._

Hermione recalled her father talking about playing rugby in uni. He hadn't been quite good enough to make the main team for the university, though he had been placed in one of the backup teams. But he had found most of his friends playing friendly games among the rest of the students there.

 _Yeah. He talks about that a lot._

 _It's not bad. He has some great stories. But he has made me promise to teach any of my future children how to play._

Hermione smiled. She was sure her father had some good stories if you could listen through the sports long enough to get to them. That wasn't something she had managed before, but she was trying. And she was sure that Viktor would be able to.

 _He's tried to make me promise that. But I'm probably the worst person to listen once he gets going about sports,_ she confessed.

 _You're getting better. You voluntarily asked if we had quidditch at Durmstrang._

 _Yeah. I have an ulterior motive for that._

There was a pause.

 _And what might that be?_ Viktor asked.

Hermione took a deep breath, controlling her thoughts from just pouring out. Though she knew Viktor would understand if she did, it would be better of her to try to come to the point. It would take up much less space.

 _We have a teacher here, who also works for the ministry, who banned all clubs with more than three members. Which includes quidditch. I'm just not sure exactly how that would work with school politics._

She waited, clearing the ink off her skin. She knew the answer would probably be fairly upset. Possibly as upset as Harry was when he had found out. Though not as angry as he had been when he punched the wall. Hopefully.

 _If your government is corrupt enough to think that taking a sport as beloved as quidditch away from the students is a good idea, I hope that your mother manages to get her plans up and running as soon as possible._

Hermione laughed. She was glad that she'd cast a quieting spell over her bed. She was certain that Lavender would rip open the curtains if she heard her, no matter how much Hermione insisted that she was just reading.

It wasn't a total lie, she was reading. But she was also writing. And that wasn't something she cared to explain.

 _If my mother manages to set her plans in motion any faster than she has been, everything will change at a speed so fast that it will feel like a god punched the planet._

 _She did ask me to tell you that she sent a letter last night. It should get there in a few days._

It might have only taken a few hours for a plane to get to Bulgaria, but owls were a tad slower than jet engines. And they had to stop and eat and sleep. The letter wouldn't get there until the next day at the soonest.

 _Thanks. I'm sure she appreciates that._

 _I don't think she likes the fact that I can talk to you almost instantaneously while you're at Hogwarts. She would like to use that metal box she uses to call England and her office to talk to you. But she said that it won't work around as much magic as Hogwarts has._

 _She's right. The phone won't work at Hogwarts. I'm surprised it works at your house. Your wards are rather impressive. And they've been on the house for generations, or so your father says._

 _He's not exaggerating. But your parents don't use the_ _phone_ _at our house. They use it lots of other places. The most common is the pastry shop close to the house._

Just thinking about it made Hermione's mouth water. They had the most amazing banista that she had ever tasted. It was divine.

 _I swear that if you bring some of that with you the next time I see you, I'll marry you,_ she teased.

 _I'll keep that in mind._

"Hermione," Pavarti said, "I need some help."

 _I've got to go. Talk to you tomorrow._

 _Love you._

She pulled her sleeve down and opened the curtains around her bed, dispelling the charm she'd set up. "Alright Pavarti, what seems to be the trouble?"

* * *

A/N: I really hope I spelt it correctly, but banista is supposed to be a Bulgarian pastry. Also, I'm impressed with how quickly I managed to get this chapter done. I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations. I think that the next chapter is going to be the first DA meeting. At the very least, there will be some planning for that.


	40. Chapter 40

Hermione found herself demonstrating the disarming spell to a bunch of third years. They hadn't been around for Professor Lockheart, thank goodness, and had missed is dueling club. That may not have been the worst thing ever.

It seemed that it was fifth year and under who were the most common participants. Sure, there were a few older students. Cho Chang and both Weasley twins came to mind immediately. But the younger students had joined in droves. Second years were full, almost to each student.

It drove home the horrible reality that was the impending war. Hermione didn't want to think about it, but the group was definitely facing war, not just the exams that she was freaking out over.

"You don't look so great," Luna said.

Hermione frowned. "I guess I didn't realize what we were up against," she said.

"You're not supposed to," Luna said with strange clarity. "War has lots of small signs, but it isn't until the fighting is on our doorsteps that we really realize what we're up against."

Luna skipped off to practice disarming some of the older students who knew how to cast shield charms. Sometimes it sounded like she was the wisest person on the planet. Sometimes she seemed eccentric. Hermione wasn't sure what to make of Luna Lovegood.

"How goes everything?" Padma asked.

"Strange," Hermione said. "You're in Ravenclaw. Does Luna act like that all the time?"

"The thing about Luna is that she's more of a Ravenclaw than the rest of us. We're not entirely sure what to do with her. You never know if she's going to be dreamy, scary smart, or just plain weird."

"Glad it's not just me," Hermione sighed. "What's up with her lack of shoes?"

"No one really knows," Padma said. "We've looked for them, tried summoning spells, and everything we can think of. If you have any ideas, we'd love to hear them."

"What size shoes does she wear?" Hermione asked.

"A size four."

Hermione wore a half size smaller, and had some extra shoes that didn't fit well in her trunk. She made a mental note to grab them and give them to the girl before dinner. She didn't want to give Umbridge any chance to harass the girl.

The class went on, Hermione helping Harry teach as best she could. She was surprised by his ability to teach. She knew that he wanted to be an auror, but she was fairly sure that might not be the best course of action for him.

She walked out of the room of requirement certain that Harry should be a teacher. And if the defense against the dark arts post was still available, he would be perfect for the job.

"Lost in thought?" Neville asked once she walked into him.

She shook her head. "Sorry Neville. I guess yes."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. "Or is this something that shouldn't be talked about where ears are listening?"

"I was just thinking that Harry is more qualified to teach defense than our current professor," she said. "I know he wants to be an auror, but I can't help but think that I should try to convince him otherwise."

"He's only fifteen," Neville said. "You're almost a year older than him. And I don't know if you know what you want to do yet."

"I know that the muggles have a better idea with university," she muttered.

The truth was that she didn't know exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She knew that she wanted to spend it with Viktor, and that would likely involve a move. But she wasn't sure what she would do.

She did her homework quickly, and then found the pair of flats in her trunk. They were simple black ones, but they had a tendency to fall off Hermione's feet so she rarely wore them.

She spelled them so that Luna could summon them, but no one else. She also charmed them so that they would be harder to steal. She then headed down to the great hall for dinner.

In the corridor, before she got to the great hall, Umbridge was asking Luna about her shoes.

"And where are they?" the toad asked.

"I'm not sure. I've looked for them everywhere," Luna said.

"Professor," Hermione said rushing forward. "I just found her shoes. They'd been taken by some students as a prank." She was fibbing, though she was fairly certain that was the truth.

"Well," Umbridge hesitated. "See that it doesn't happen again."

"Yes Professor," Hermione said rotely.

Umbridge turned on her heel and walked up to the head table. She looked slightly ridiculous with the way that she walked, and both girls had to stifle giggles.

"Here," Hermione said handing the shoes to the younger girl.

"Thanks," Luna said, "but you really didn't have to do that."

Hermione shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Those don't fit me well anyways."

They walked into the hall in silence. Hermione liked Luna well enough, but they probably wouldn't ever be good friends. She just didn't understand her.

She sat down at the table, and looked at the food set out. She was hungry, but the only thing that looked even slightly appealing to her was meatloaf. So she served herself some, and set out to attempt to eat the whole thing before Neville and Harry started heckling her over it.

"Hungry?" Harry asked.

"A bit," Hermione said. "I wasn't expecting today to make me so hungry."

"Me either," Harry said.

Hermione looked over at his plate and saw it was full of a little bit of everything that was available. He had so much food, that it looked like it might fall off his plate, though he had made a decent dent in it.

"I guess helping other people is harder than just trying to learn the stuff," Neville mused. He was eating what would be considered a normal amount. He wasn't as hungry as Harry, Hermione, or Ron.

Ron was definitely the most hungry out of all them. He was always hungry, so that wasn't really a surprise. But what was surprising was the fact that he joined in the conversation, without his mouth full of food.

"Was pretty fun," he said.

"I would have to agree with Ron," Neville said. "It was pretty fun. If you could ignore the fact that there's going to be a real reason to learn these things."

"Yeah," Harry and Hermione sighed into their food at the same time.

"So, did Viktor say if he could come teach at some point?" Harry asked after a bite of food.

Hermione nodded. "He said that he's thinking the last weekend in November. The season will be over by then."

"Sounds great."

* * *

Hermione was writing a letter to Viktor. She had described the first DA meeting in great detail. She told of what she was calling "the shoe debacle," and had told how she managed to get Umbridge to back off. Even if it was just for a moment, she was going to take each and every small victory.

"What are you writing?" Ron asked.

"A letter."

"To whom?" he pestered.

"Viktor," she answered shortly. She might have been sitting in the common room, but she wasn't particularly fond of being bothered about what she was doing. She was there so she could proofread Harry's essay when he was done with it.

"Krum?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "How many other Viktors do I know?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ron said. "You have muggle friends. And you went on holiday with your parents for most of the summer."

"I went to visit Viktor in Bulgaria," Hermione said trying to control her temper. "Yes, I went with my parents, but they weren't the reason I went. Rather the other way around."

Ron's face turned red as he spluttered around. He walked around the room, pacing angrily.

"Harry, send Lavender up to get me when you need me," Hermione said.

"Will do," he said without looking up.

Hermione walked up the stairs to her dorm and sank down onto her bed. She pulled up her sleeve, pulled out her pen, and wrote to the one person she knew could calm her down completely.

 _Are you busy?_

 _No. I was wanting to talk to you, but was not sure when you would be ready._

Hermione sighed. She had been wanting to talk to Viktor all day, but with the DA meeting, she had gotten busy.

 _I need you to tell me not to kill Ron,_ she wrote.

 _He's the red haired one, right?_

 _That's the one._

 _You really shouldn't kill him. You would be sad later. But if he keeps being a problem, you should let me know and I'll deal with him._

Hermione smiled. She had no doubt that Viktor would deal with Ron if she asked him to. But she also knew that she probably wouldn't ever ask him to. She liked Ron too much to lose him as a friend. He was one of her first friends, even if he did drive her nuts at times.

 _I know. But I just need to let him calm down. Though he really needs to get used to the idea of you dating me. I don't think that's going to stop anytime soon._

 _I'm not going to stop unless you want me to._

 _Same here,_ she wrote. _And I don't want to. I'm fairly sure that I won't ever want to stop dating you._

* * *

 _A/N:_ I finished this chapter! Finally. I have to say that this one was not one of the easiest chapters to write. But also because I've been busy. And distracted. I'm going to keep writing this, and hopefully be better about updating. But I've not necessarily had a good track record with that. Unfortunately.


	41. Chapter 41

With everything going on, Hermione found the days passing quickly. Before she knew it, it was the last week of November, and Viktor was going to be visiting for the last Hogsmeade weekend before the holidays.

She was excited, especially since the week had been flying by. She had written him every day, and had just gotten a letter back from him, that was currently safe inside her bag. She had even warded it with a few special spells so that Umbridge couldn't take it if she tried.

She had just finished the last transfiguration class of the week, and was headed out the door down to lunch. It was good for her that the only class she had left was defense against the dark arts, where she didn't have to do any thinking. Her mind was not exactly available for schoolwork.

"Where are you going?" Neville asked.

Hermione looked up, finding that she was headed down to the kitchen instead of the great hall. "Oops," she said. "I wasn't thinking about where I was going."

"Obviously," Neville said. "I think everyone else thought you were going to the library. But you seem out of it. Anything going on?"

Hermione looked at Neville pointedly. "Are you really asking me that?"

"I know **he** is going to be here tomorrow. Everyone's really looking forward to it. But I was wondering if that was all you were thinking about."

"Miss Granger," Umbridge called.

" _Please don't let me do anything I'll regret,"_ Hermione whispered in Bulgarian. "What can I do for you Professor?"

"Where are you going Miss Granger?"

"I wasn't paying attention and was going to the kitchens by accident," she said softly. "I'm just grateful that Neville here stopped me before I crashed into someone."

"Is this true?" Umbridge asked Neville.

"I'm afraid that Hermione's had a lot on her mind with research, and her personal life. Her parents have been out of the country, and she's been wanting to hear from them for weeks. As you can imagine, it's been taking a toll on her," Neville fibbed.

"I was under the impression that Miss Granger's parents were dentists."

"They are," Hermione said. "My mother's been working with a foreign ministry on how to improve international relations. So they've been traveling a bit."

Umbridge seemed skeptical and wrote down a note on her parchment. Hermione was fairly certain that it was something along the lines of "compulsive lying, though her stories are logical."

"Mr. Longbottom, please escort Miss Granger down to the great hall."

They walked in silence until they turned the corner. "That's where we were headed anyways," Neville said.

Hermione elbowed him softly. "She might still be able to hear us," she hissed.

"Even if she did, what's the worst she could assume?" He paused. "Don't answer that. Knowing you, you'll actually come up with an answer that I don't really want to hear."

Hermione smirked. He was right. She already had an answer on the tip of her tongue, and she was fairly sure that Neville wouldn't enjoy it. So she swallowed the answer, since she didn't really want to hear it either.

"There she is Ron. Thank goodness you found her Neville," Harry said once they got to the great hall. "Umbridge was stalking us, asking where Hermione had gone off to."

"She found us," Hermione said.

"Hermione got sidetracked and we got caught trying to make it back here," Neville supplemented.

"It's not my fault," she protested. "I did get caught up in my thoughts, but I've been doing that all week. Today just happens to be worse than normal."

Harry and Neville laughed. Ron looked confused. "What's so funny about that? It must be something pretty bad for her to lose focus like that."

"Or really good," Neville said between gasps of air.

Ron shook his head. "I doubt another beyond perfect score on a test could distract her that much." He then turned his attention back to his food.

Harry and Neville devolved further into giggles as Hermione checked her watch for the umpteenth time that hour. She didn't really care what they said, she just wanted the day to be over already.

Hermione ate her lunch, and wandered up the stairs to defense, her friends ready to steer her in the right direction if she wandered off again. It was a real risk at the time. She was used to certain pathways, but it always felt like the castle was waiting for a person to not pay attention before switching the staircases around.

They did manage to make it to class on time and avoid the wrath of Umbridge. Had they been even a minute later, they might not have been so lucky, but no one wanted to contemplate that possibility for too long.

Class passed without too much disturbance. No one wanted Umbridge angry. She was already insufferable, and anything more would have been more than anyone was willing to deal with. Hermione and the rest of the students were grateful that she seemed to be preoccupied and didn't pay them much attention.

Hermione drifted away in thought through the afternoon. She doodled on parchment that contained half notes, half scribbles, and would be useless to anyone but her. The more logical part of her brain was yelling at her to quit daydreaming. The larger, more romantic, part of her told it to pipe down and enjoy the ride.

She looked down at the swirls, hoping to find something unintelligible rather than hearts. She was grateful to find mostly swirls, though she thought she could find a few flowers in there. Flowers were okay.

"You alright?" Padma asked as she sat down in the chair across the table from her.

Hermione stretched herself out. She wasn't particularly fond of people asking her that every time she was slightly distracted. Even when she was more than slightly distracted. She might not be the most present in that moment, but she was fine.

"Just distracted," she said. "I keep telling everyone that I'll be fine Sunday, but no one believes me."

"I would imagine you'll be ever so slightly distracted then," Padma said.

"Probably," Hermione admitted. "But, it should be better."

She leaned back into her slumped posture, doodling absentmindedly on the parchment. She didn't want to do any of her homework, though she knew a lot of it was due in the next week. She wasn't even close to how on top of her work she had been before she met Viktor.

She was distracted for the rest of the afternoon and evening, drifting off to sleep after seeing a short note on her arm, penned quickly.

 _Here, at The Three Broomsticks._

* * *

Hermione almost leapt out of her bed that morning. She was beyond excited, and dressed herself quickly. Knowing the weather was going to be cold, she pulled a jumper over her robes, and raced down the stairs, cloak in hand.

She bounded down the stairs to the great hall and grabbed a piece of toast and marmalade before heading out the door and across the courtyard. She walked, deliberately trying not to run. She ate as she walked, in an effort to both settle her stomach and keep her from running to the village as fast as she could.

She walked up to The Three Broomsticks, and took a deep breath before entering the building. Inside it was quiet. Most of the people were still asleep on the weekend, and it was almost peaceful. In just a few hours, all the Hogwarts students would be there, causing quite a ruckus.

She walked over to the booth in the far corner. Sitting there, staring at a mostly empty plate, was a certain internationally famous athlete.

"Hey," she said.

He looked up at her, and his face lit up. There was a hint of a smile on his face, but his eyes sparkled with happiness. "How haff you been?"

"Distracted," she said slipping into the booth across from him. "There's this guy, he's pretty handsome, who's been occupying my mind."

"Do I need to do anything to him to keep him out of your thoughts?" he asked.

Hermione giggled. "No silly. It's you."

Viktor had known exactly what Hermione was talking about. He just liked to tease her, about as much as she enjoyed teasing him. And both were comfortable enough in their relationship to be silly, which just made things even better.

"I know."

"So, are you close to being done?"

"Can go now if you vant," he said.

"I'd like that."

He paid the bill for his meal and room, and walked outside with Hermione. The morning was crisp, clear, and oddly dry for Scotland in the fall. Not that either of them were going to complain. It was only going to make their afternoon with the DA that much easier.

They made the most of the morning talking and catching up with each other. It was so much easier to talk to each other in person, though they were making things work even with the distance. Hermione was so grateful that she actually got some time with him before the students started pouring in from the castle.

It seemed as if no one was immune to Viktor's stardom. He got more requests for autographs than Hermione had seen him get anywhere other than the first week of the tournament the year before. He was approached by everyone, and Hermione found herself on the receiving end of some very civil comments by some Slytherins.

"That was weird," she muttered.

"Vhat vas?"

"That Slytherin was actually nice to me. That never happens."

Viktor shrugged, though he remembered the conversations he had had with more than one Slytherin the previous year. It looked like they were still mildly frightened of him.

They headed into Honeyduke's and spent a good half hour just browsing before Hermione finally decided on her usual package of sugar quills. It was simple, easy, and her favourite thing in the whole store anyways.

The afternoon came sooner than either of them would have liked, but it was necessary. They headed out through the forest to the clearing they had decided would be the least conspicuous meeting spot. Hermione started setting up protective spells around the area, and Viktor joined her with a few spells she hadn't even heard of.

When all of the DA members were there, Viktor taught them the importance of hand to hand combat. He demonstrated how in close quarters, being able to dodge a spell could be the difference of life and death. And if you could wrench your opponent's wand away from them, that gave you the advantage.

Hermione knew exactly how important it could be. Viktor had already impressed the importance of being able to fight without magic on her over the summer. And she was already quite competent at the exercises he was having everyone do.

Hermione caught his eye as she moved, almost without even focusing, through the exercises she was doing with Padma. She gave a brief nod to his unspoken question about giving the rest of the students a demonstration.

When Viktor was satisfied that everyone could remember the steps and had the practice routine down, he pulled Hermione up to the front. She rocked back and forth on her feet, keeping her muscles warm as she gently stretched.

When he attacked, she sidestepped easily. She crouched, keeping her center of gravity low and easier to manage. She was smaller, so she had to use Viktor's size and strength against him. When she flipped him to the ground, just a few moments later, she heard a collective gasp.

"Most fights don't last a long time," she explained. "It takes a lot of energy. Both physically, and magically. You need to train very hard to outlast your opponent."

It seemed like everyone heard her loud and clear. The session wrapped up easier than she would have expected, and they staggered departures so it wouldn't automatically give them away.

"Thanks again for doing this," Harry said as he watched the younger students filter away. "It means a lot."

"You need help. And I vould do anything to keep Her-me-own safe."

Hermione ducked her head to hide her smile at Viktor's mispronunciation of her name. He had been working so hard, and had improve a lot. But he was still having a hard time. Even so, she wouldn't change it for anything.

Saying goodbye to Viktor was hard. She had known all along that it would be the hardest part of the day.

"I'll see you over Christmas," she said. It wasn't a question, in spite of the pleading tone in her voice.

"I vould not miss it for the vorld."


	42. Chapter 42

Hermione busied herself with studying, and found that December was slipping away faster than she had anticipated. Which was a good thing. But she still tried hard not to let herself think about it too much. If she did, she would find herself overwhelmed fairly quickly. And that wasn't a good idea at all.

She was getting ready for the holidays, when one night, she was awoken in the middle of the night by Professor McGonagall. Very disoriented, she rolled herself out of bed, and nearly tripped over her own feet.

"What's going on Professor?" she asked.

"It seems Mr. Weasley has been attacked. I've already sent the Weasley children home, but the headmaster wanted me to inform you of this. We've moved your parents to Grimmauld place. They should be safe there."

Hermione nodded, her nerves rising. "How secure is the floo from there?"

"Once they've been at Grimmauld place, there shouldn't be any problems. The fidelius charm is fairly powerful, but everything should be fine once they're in on the secret."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried that her parents might just move to Bulgaria. Not that it would be a bad thing, but there would be less time to spend with her friends. And she wanted to spend time with them.

"And Mr. Weasley?" she asked.

"He'll be fine. He's in St. Mungo's hospital. I'll be sending you, Mr. Potter, and the rest of the Wealeys home through the floo. I don't want any of you getting into trouble," McGonagall said.

Hermione nodded, and fell back into her bed, asleep within seconds of her head hitting her mattress. She had missed her pillow, but it wasn't likely to make that much of a difference from the way she seemed to be sleeping soundly.

When she woke in the morning, she practically flew to McGonagall's office. She was sure the older witch would take care of the luggage. Her stuff was already packed and she would have hauled it off herself, if she didn't need to know when they were leaving.

"Miss Granger, do come in," the professor said when she opened her office door. "Your friends should be arriving shortly."

"Still asleep?" Hermione asked.

"They should be," McGonagall said. "I know last night was hard for them, and they don't get back to sleep as easily as you do, but once they were asleep, they should sleep as long as they can."

Hermione nodded. She thought that was wise of her teacher to let them sleep. But she figured that some of the others were awake, but not willing to face the world yet. She knew that if it had been either of her parents, she would be fraught with worry.

"But, since you're here, perhaps you would like to wait for the arrival of a very special guest with me," McGonagall said.

Hermione was incredibly confused until the fireplace roared to life, and a certain Bulgarian she had been missing stepped out. She ran over to him, glad to be in his embrace once again.

"Viktor," she cried. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Vas rather vorried," he said. "Vith Christmas, and the vedding, I didn't know you vould be in hiding so soon."

McGonagall looked worried at the word wedding. "I hope you two aren't planning on being wed over the holidays."

Hermione looked from Viktor to her teacher and laughed. She hadn't considered the possibility that someone would confuse the implication of Viktor's words. Reflecting on his words, she could understand why her professor was confused, but she still found it funny.

"No. We're. It's." She tried to speak between bouts of giggles. It wasn't working so well.

"Vhat Her-me-owny is trying to say is that ve vill be going to the Diggory, Varrington vedding together," Viktor filled in.

Professor McGonagall relaxed visibly at his words. She had been concerned that Hermione was rushing into something. And wizards lived longer than muggles. She shouldn't have to marry so young if she wanted to do something else.

Hermione calmed down slowly, though she still giggled a little every now and then. Especially when she looked at her teacher. The idea just seemed so absurd to her that she couldn't help but laugh.

Viktor was thoughtful as he helped Hermione to stay upright. He hadn't brought up marriage with her, but he wanted to. He was half hoping she would drop a hint of some variety when she was ready to deal with the subject. He was fairly sure she loved him, but he didn't want to drop that bomb without some warning.

Hermione finally managed to quit laughing, though she kept her eyes firmly off McGonagall. "We should probably go get everyone up and ready," she said to Viktor.

They walked out of the transfiguration teacher's office and into the hallway, where Hermione kissed Viktor fiercely. "I missed you so much," she breathed into him.

"Did you really?" he asked. The smile on his face told her that he was teasing her, so Hermione couldn't find it in her to be mad at him.

"You know I did," she said before kissing him again.

They were fairly engrossed in each other that they didn't notice there were students starting to roam the halls until one of them made retching noises.

"I guess we really should get a move on," Hermione said.

She led him up to Gryffindor tower where the Weasleys and Harry were pulling trunks down into the common room. They all looked glum, but Fred and George brightened a sliver when they saw Viktor.

"Vicky," Fred said.

"We certainly weren't," Gorge added you

"…expecting you or anything," Fred finished.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Twinspeak, which she was almost sure was a real thing, still confused her. Even when Padma and Pavarti did it. Which they were careful about, but sometimes got caught up in things and did it without thinking about it.

"Alright boys, there's going to be more than enough time to pester him later," she said. She headed up the stairs to her dorm to get her trunk.

She was incredibly surprised to find Viktor behind her when she got there. He looked as though nothing was wrong.

"How did you manage that?" she asked.

"Manage vhat?" he asked.

"Getting up the stairs. They're charmed to turn into a slide for the boys," she explained.

He merely shrugged, picked up her trunk with one hand and held her hand with the other while they descended the stairs. The looks on everyone else's face was wonderful. All of them wore expressions of disbelief at Viktor's ability to reach the girl's dorm.

"You have got to show us how to do that," both Fred and George had said at the same time.

Viktor looked at both of the twins dubiously. "Ve vill see."

They traipsed down to McGonagall's office and flooed back to Sirius' home.

"Mum," Hermione cried as soon as she stepped out of the fireplace. "You're here."

"Where else would I be?" Helena Granger asked.

"I don't know. Bulgaria?" Hermione teased.

Mrs. Granger held up her hands in surrender. "Alright. Alright. You caught me."

"Now will you tell me what's going on?" she asked.

"Maybe when all your friends sort out their stuff." Helena gestured around the room. There were trunks stacked all around the fireplace, just waiting to be put away.

"Alright," Hermione conceded. She knew it was her mother's way of saying "not yet." And she found that as long as she got to hear all about her parents' exploits, she didn't really care.

Soon enough everyone had their stuff at least in their rooms. They were all sitting around the kitchen, cups of tea in their hands as they swapped stories. Even Hermione's parents were able to join it. It felt like one big family. And it was.

It wasn't long before Mrs. Weasley informed them that the next day, Mr. Weasley would be able to receive visitors. They would all go visit him in the morning.

* * *

Hermione sat next to Viktor listening to her mother talk about their time at the Bulgarian ministry. She was enraptured with some of the things she had seen. And there was a whole lot.

"So now we're going to be ambassadors to Bulgaria," Mr. Granger said.

"I'm so proud of you, mum," Hermione said. "All your hard work is paying off."

Helena Granger smiled warmly. "It still feels so surreal. I spent years working hard to be a dentist. And I made an awesome one. But it's strange how quickly your priorities can change."

Hermione looked at Viktor who was sitting next to her. "Yes. I would have to agree with that."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner. I just haven't been into this as much as I feel I should have been. I'm working on it. Hopefully I can manage to get the next chapter up before too long.


	43. Chapter 43

Hermione found the trip to the hospital more exhausting than she had anticipated. She hadn't been foolish enough to think that the trip would be stress free. No one had expected that. But she hadn't expected it to be as hard as it had been.

Mr. Weasley was doing well. He seemed cheerful for someone who wouldn't, or couldn't, stop bleeding. But he was mostly interested with the idea of having muggle stitches. Hermione almost found her mouth quirking up at that thought.

But just when they were getting ready to leave, they ran into Neville. He was visiting his parents. And that brought the whole trip even further down than it had been before. They had all known about Neville's parents, but not a single one of them had realized exactly what that had meant.

And the fact that her emotional support had stayed back with her parents had made things a little harder. Viktor had thought that it would seem imprudent of him to join the rest of them to visit a man he had only met a few times. Even if he was in the hospital.

While she understood his reasoning, she had wanted him there so bad. If only to hold her hand and be there for her. When they flooed back to headquarters, she practically ran into his arms.

"Vhat is wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she mumbled into his shirt. "I just needed you."

He hummed amused as he wrapped his arms around her. He still wasn't sure what was wrong. He was certain she would have told him if he needed to do anything about it. The fact that she hadn't meant that he was just going to hold her until she decided that she wanted to move.

They did move over to one of the couches when the others were starting to crowd around. Viktor thought that it wouldn't be the best idea to be in the middle of everyone, especially since none of them seemed in the best mood.

Hermione curled up into Viktor's side, glad that he wasn't pushing the subject. She knew he would be there for her as long as she wanted him, but she didn't feel like telling him exactly what had put her in the mood she was in. And no one else really seemed to want to talk about it either.

Viktor held her for the better part of an hour before she uncurled herself and got up to get a cup of tea. Winky brought one over.

"Madame Granger said this would make Miss feel better," Winky said.

"It's Dr. Granger," Helena grumbled from the kitchen table. She really didn't appreciate the title of Madame. "I didn't go to dental school for nothing."

"I know mum," Hermione said sliding into a chair next to her.

"Winky doesn't know what a doctor is," Winky mumbled next to Viktor.

He smiled, and almost let out a laugh. But he wasn't sure that either of the two Granger women would have appreciated that. And he didn't exactly want to find out.

"Won't you sit down with us Winky?" Helena asked.

"Oh no, ma'am," Winky said. "Winky must be cleaning doxies out of the attic. Kreacher has not been doing Kreacher's job, ma'am."

Helena sighed as the house elf popped away. She rubbed her temples, trying to stave off a headache. "I wish that creature would just sit and talk with me," she mumbled.

Hermione cracked a smile over the top of her mug. "I think most house elves don't particularly like being lazy," she said. "The ones at Hogwarts were always working. Always."

Helena took a drink of her tea. It was dark, with hardly a hint of cream or sugar in its appearance. And if Hermione was right, there wasn't anything in it. Helena Granger seemed to be getting a bit of a tension headache, and straight tea was her go to remedy.

"I know most elves are hard vorking," Viktor added. "Ve never had one. Mother doesn't like them. But at Durmstrang they seemed happy."

"You never mentioned that Durmstrang had house elves," Hermione said.

"You never ask. And ve didn't bring them vith us to Hogwarts. Ve can cook and clean as vell." Viktor sounded like it was something that everyone should know how to do.

Hermione flushed a little at her own silliness. She hadn't even really thought to ask if Durmstrang had house elves. But, before her fourth year, she hadn't even known that Hogwarts had elves. And if it hadn't been for the world cup, she probably would have imagined something out of Lord of the Rings.

"It's okay, sweetie," Helena said. "I wouldn't have thought to ask either."

That made Hermione feel better. Not completely fine. That wouldn't happen until Mr. Weasley was out of the hospital and she could have a good talk with Neville. But she certainly felt better. The fact that Viktor was sitting there to support her, and didn't even fault her for anything, helped as well.

They stayed there for a while, until Harry came down. He was feeling ever so slightly out of place with everyone. And it was clear on his face that he was feeling guilty of something.

"What's wrong Harry?" Helena Granger asked.

"Headache," he said.

"Let me get you a cup of tea."

Harry looked at Hermione. "Is everyone's solution to everything tea?" he stage whispered.

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Tea makes mum's headaches go away. She's trying to help."

Hermione knew all about Harry's headaches that seemed to link him to He-who-must-not-be-named. And she also knew that she hadn't been as forthcoming about that detail as she should be with her parents. They knew he was back, but they didn't totally understand.

"Oh," Harry said.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. He didn't feel like talking about it. Hermione knew that she wasn't as close with him as she had once been, but she had hoped that he would want to talk to her the same way.

"I have to have extra classes with Snape once we get back," he mumbled.

Hermione felt sorry for Harry. He despised Snape. And Snape wasn't exactly fond of Harry, which only made things more tense. If Harry had to have extra lessons with the potions teacher, she was almost certain he was going to be even more angry than he already was.

"If it's potions, I'm sure Viktor could help you before we go back," she said. The way he had managed to get Neville calm enough to take his potions exam was something she would always be grateful for.

"Not potions. Some sort of mind reading thing."

Hermione was sure that was something crazy. People could read other people's minds? That should have been illegal. But then, He-who-must-not-be-named wasn't exactly one for following laws if she had done her research right. And she always did her research right.

"I might be able to help," Viktor said.

Harry looked relieved. "It will mean less time with Snape," he said.

"Would you mind helping me learn?" Hermione asked. She didn't want anyone having access to her mind. It was a disturbing thought.

"Of course."

They finished their tea and settled in the sitting room to do some meditation which was supposed to help with mental discipline. Hermione was dubious, but figured it couldn't hurt. But she was having a very hard time clearing her mind.

Sitting so close to Viktor wasn't helping her at all. She could smell him, a very distinct scent. And she knew exactly where he was. She tried to push that from her mind and just focus on breathing, but she could hear her heart pounding.

Her consolation was that Harry seemed to be having a much harder time than she was. And he wasn't trying to clear his mind with the person he was dating in the room. But Hermione wasn't about to tell him that. It would only make it harder for him.

"Maybe ve should take a break," Viktor suggested.

"Thank you," Harry breathed.

He almost rushed out of the room. Hermione wasn't sure why. She thought that she and Viktor were fine company. And they weren't exactly too romantic. But she was grateful to spend some time alone with Viktor.

She kissed him deeply, feeling happier. And in that moment, she knew she could always count on him to at least try to solve her problems. Even if she didn't need him to.

* * *

A/N: So we get more Winky. I missed writing her. She's a fun character. And I got another chapter done in less than a week! Yes! I'm hoping to have the next two up by Valentine's day. Don't hold me to that, though. (On a related note, I'm celebrating Batman day on the fourteenth. If anyone has bat themed foods, I'd love to hear ideas. We're gonna have a party.)


	44. Chapter 44

Christmas was as magical as Hermione had expected it to be. Perhaps even more so. Last year had been wonderful because of the ball. This year was wonderful because she got to spend it in her pajamas surrounded by people she loved.

She was glad of the pajamas, fluffy periwinkle fleece with a fun argyle pattern on the pants. They were beyond comfortable, and she was warm. Especially in a drafty old house, such things were important. And the fact that they were a gift from her parents made them even more special.

She snuggled into Viktor's side as everyone opened their gifts. There were the obligatory Weasley sweaters. Everyone got one. Ron moaned about maroon, though it was probably one of the best colours for his complexion.

Fred and George swapped theirs immediately. Mr. Weasley put his right over his pajamas. Sirius looked strangely distinguished in the bright purple pullover. Harry looked stunning in the green sweater. And Ginny looked slightly miffed at the pink her mother had chosen.

Hermione was pleased with the light sky blue sweater with a book on the front. Viktor looked dashing a bright red. And both the Grangers were wearing sweaters decorated with teeth. They looked utterly gleeful.

Hermione was glad that her presents were well received. She had spent enough time worrying over that. But it looked like she hadn't needed to worry.

Harry and Ron were probably going to be okay with whatever she had gotten them. But she had decided to get a broom cleaning kit for Harry. Even if he wasn't exactly allowed on the team anymore, he still liked to take care of the gift from Sirius.

For Ron she had gotten him a large assortment of candy from Honeyduke's. He was always eating something, and she thought that maybe if things were individually wrapped he might not shove them in his mouth as fast. But she also knew that he sometimes wished for more candy. He had a huge sweet tooth.

Fred and George had gotten permission for testing of new products for one month. She did say in her note that they had to explain to the students what they were doing, but she wasn't going to do anything. It was the best gift they had gotten in a while.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were now the proud owners of an electric kettle. Hermione had had her parents help out with that one. She had found that getting her hands on muggle items was incredibly difficult while at Hogwarts.

Sirius got a new cloak. It had protective charms woven into the very fabric. And then she'd cast a few more. One could never be too careful. Especially when one was an escaped convict.

Hermione's mother had gotten a complete wizard history of witch burnings. Spells had even managed to copy a few primary sources. Helena had a hard time not opening the book and being in her own little world for hours.

It had taken Hermione more time to figure out what to give her father. In the end, she settled for a hand knit hat in his favourite shade of green. There were no spells knit into it. No magic had been used in its making. It was just a hat. But he put it on his head, and wouldn't take it off.

Her gift for Viktor hadn't been shared yet. That was something she didn't want everyone to see. While she had been nervous about them liking their gifts, it was nothing compared to how nervous she was about Viktor's reaction.

When everyone dispersed after brunch, she pulled Viktor into an empty room. She pulled a box, conspicuously small, out from behind her back.

"Here you go," she said.

She held her breath as he opened the box to reveal a simple locket on a long chain. Inside there was a picture of the two of them, laughing together. Her mother had taken it over the summer, and had Mrs. Krum develop it in a potion so it would move.

He looked up at her, a hopeful look on his face.

"Her-me-own, does this mean…" he trailed off.

She nodded. "I wanted you to know that I felt the same way about you."

He picked her up and twirled her around, box still clutched in his hand. She squealed with delight. And Viktor pulled Hermione in for a deep kiss.

The Grangers were watching from the doorway, their hearts aching. Part of them wanted Hermione to stay young for much longer. But another part of them didn't want to take away what obvious happiness she had found. And there was no doubt that Viktor made her happy.

They snuck away, not wanting to interrupt anything. They knew Hermione was responsible, and Viktor wasn't likely to do anything to hurt her. Not if they understood the gesture he had made in the necklace he had given her. The one she had just returned.

* * *

A/N: It's done! I know this chapter is slightly shorter than some of the other ones. Quite a bit actually. But I'm just so glad to have gotten through Christmas. And yes, it's done in the time frame I was hoping for. I already have a vague outline for the next chapter. It's been plotting in the back of my head for a while. Ever since I had the idea for having Cedric and Cassius get married, this next chapter has been brewing in my head. It's going to be awesome. And it should be done fairly soon. Hopefully in time for Valentines. (Even though I don't celebrate it I figure it would be nice to have a romantic chapter posted in time for the holiday.) Yay! I'm also thinking of drawing the dress Hermione's going to wear in the next chapter. But I'm not sure I could do it justice. I think I'll still try.


	45. Chapter 45

Hermione stood in the parlour, waiting for Viktor to come downstairs and take her to the wedding. Harry was sitting on the couch, tea in one hand and a biscuit in the other.

"How do I look?" Hermione asked him.

She twirled around, showing off the knee length dress. It was a sheath dress with three quarter length sleeves in a cream colour. There was green and gold embroidery along the edges of the dress in the shape of holly.

A gold ribbon cinched her waist, a cluster of holly leaves and berries decorating the front. Her shoes were gold pumps with more holly decorating the toes. She looked very festive to say the least.

"Beautiful Hermione. Absolutely beautiful," Harry said once he had swallowed his bite of biscuit.

Hermione blushed, and looked down at her feet. While she had done her best to look pretty, even taking the time to pull her hair into something manageable, she still sometimes felt like she couldn't accept compliments.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked from the door. He had a packet of biscuits, and was going to join Harry on the couch.

"A wedding," Hermione said.

"I hope it's not yours," Ron said.

Hermione held up her hands. Aside from a small golden chain on her left wrist, there wasn't any jewelry there. She was wearing her necklace, but that was sort of expected.

"Nope, no ring," she said.

"Then why are you wearing white? Isn't there some rule about that?" Ron asked. "Something about clashing with the bride."

Harry and Hermione shared a look and couldn't keep their grins off their faces. They were having marginally better luck not bursting into giggles. Marginally.

"Ron, bud, I don't think she's going to have a problem with that," Harry said.

"Why not? Do muggles have some sort of weird customs?" Ron asked.

"I'm going to Cassius Warrington's wedding to Cedric Diggory," Hermione said. "I really think I'll have a hard time clashing with a bride who doesn't exist."

Ron looked up at the ceiling, obviously thinking it over. "I guess that makes sense then," he said. "Just don't do anything too crazy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She wasn't expecting anything to get crazy. It was just a wedding. And from the few she had been to, her cousins, she hadn't noticed anything unusual. Maybe there were some people who got pretty drunk, but she doubted that would be her. She wasn't planning on drinking.

Viktor came down, smoothing his tie. "You ready?" he asked Hermione, kissing her temple.

"As ready as could be expected," Hermione said. She was smiling in spite of the fact that her stomach felt like butterflies were swarming all of a sudden.

"You look loffly," he said before pulling them into the fireplace and flooing to the venue for the wedding.

Hermione was very grateful for Viktor's arm around her waist when they exited the floo. As convenient as magical travel was, it wasn't the most pleasant. And she was sure she would have stumbled and fallen if her boyfriend wasn't keeping her upright.

"Viktor," a distinctly high French voice came from across the room.

"Fleur, vhat are you doing here?" Viktor asked.

"Ze same ting as you," she said. "We are here for ze wedding."

Fleur walked over, a red head with long hair and a fang earing trailing behind her.

"Bill?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione?" Bill said though he was less confused. "Ron said you were dating Viktor, but I didn't think it was this serious."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course Ron would say something like that," she laughed. "He's been insistent that this wouldn't last since the end of the last school year."

"That sounds like Ron," Bill said. "Would you like to join us?"

Hermione looked at Viktor and back at Bill. "We would love to."

The ceremony was beautiful. Everyone cried. Even Bill got a little teary eyed, though he would adamantly deny it if anyone pressed. Viktor couldn't hide his tears, and didn't even try.

The reception was more fun than the ceremony. There was so much food that Hermione spent the first ten minutes just looking over the buffet table before even deciding on anything. And they hadn't even brought out the cake yet.

The first dance was one of the most beautiful things that Hermione had seen, other than the actual wedding. She felt like she was going to cry again, and was just beyond grateful that her makeup was charmed so that it wouldn't run.

When that dance was over, Viktor pulled her onto the floor. She almost melted into his arms, so glad to have him there with her. The weddings she had been to alone weren't particularly fun. And she was sure, even though this one was nicer, it would have wound up being the same.

Swirling around, she found that she could see herself in a similar positon with him. The dress was similar, though longer and more elegant. And they were a bit older. But right then, Hermione knew that she could see herself marrying Viktor.

"Vat are you thinking?" Viktor asked as he twirled her around the room.

"Nothing important," she said blushing. She tried to hide her face in his chest, and probably would have managed it if Viktor wasn't so persistent.

He tilted her head up, and found her cheeks very red. She wouldn't meet his gaze, and was biting her lip, trying to avoid the conversation that was happening in her head.

"I'll tell you later," she conceded.

Viktor was very confused. He knew she had been caught up in her thoughts for a while, but he wasn't going to push it. He knew that she would talk once she was comfortable with the idea or the location.

Instead he just held her close until Bill pulled him aside for a moment.

Hermione was confused. According to her knowledge, the two hadn't ever met previously. Maybe they had come into contact at the triwizard tournament the previous year, but that seemed unlikely. Hermione just shook her head and wandered back to the table to sit next to Fleur.

"Any clue what that was about?" she asked.

"Non," Fleur muttered. "Bill has been distracted since we got here."

Hermione shook her head. "And now he's gone and dragged Viktor into whatever it is that he's worried about."

It wasn't long before they returned, obviously done with whatever it was that they were planning. Hermione noted that Bill seemed calmer, but how she noticed that she wasn't sure. It was probably just that his shoulders seemed looser.

Hermione looked at Viktor inquisitively. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she whispered.

He pulled her away from Fleur, and leaned down. "I can't say vith her listening. Is not for me to share Bill's secret."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just tell me that Bill's planning on telling her. I don't think I could handle that."

Viktor whispered in her ear. "He's planning on proposing."

Hermione's jaw dropped. Everything fell into place. It made so much sense for Bill to be nervous. And, it was pretty common for men to be nervous around Fleur. But it also made sense why he had asked Viktor for advice.

"What was he wanting your help with?" she asked.

"He vas vondering if I had asked you to marry me." Viktor blushed a little at the admission.

Hermione shook her head. "I know we haven't even really talked about that yet. I thought that there would be more time before people started asking that question."

"Ve don't haff to talk about it yet," Viktor assured her.

"Maybe not, but I've told you that unless you decide you don't want me, I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

Viktor kissed his girlfriend, his soulmate, and the woman that he one day wanted to call his wife. He wasn't about to propose to her then and there, but he would one day.

"Ve vill talk about it later," he promised.

"Sounds good," Hermione mumbled into his chest.

* * *

"It was beautiful. Harry, you totally should have come," Hermione said to the boys later.

"I did send them an owl as soon as Mr. Weasley was attacked saying that I was sorry but felt it better to spend time here," he said.

"I know," Hermione said. She did. But she thought it would have been nice for him to have some sort of break from all the stress that was clouding his mind. "But you should have seen it. It was the most beautiful thing ever. Even Viktor cried during the binding."

"I thought that guy didn't cry at anything," Ron said.

"You vould cry if you saw loff that special," Viktor said. He sat down on the couch next to Hermione with a book in one hand.

Ron rolled his eyes. "I doubt I'd cry at a wedding."

Hermione scoffed. "Just because you have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon."

* * *

A/N: It's done. Yay. And on Valentine's day no less. Hope you all enjoy your holiday. And I hope that everyone who doesn't like the holiday much has a happy Batman day.


	46. Chapter 46

Going back to Hogwarts was difficult for everyone. The Weasleys were understandably anxious about leaving their father. Harry didn't want to go back to school and face Umbridge and her reign of terror. The holidays had been a nice break from her.

Hermione didn't want to say goodbye to her parents. She felt as if she had managed to connect with them more in the past year than she had been since she turned eleven. And she knew that they were doing something they were passionate about. But it was still hard.

And then there was Viktor. Her soulmate. Her boyfriend. And she didn't like leaving him. She knew it was unavoidable, and she wasn't about to suggest that he pick a different career path. But she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

But she wasn't about to give up school. That wouldn't be possible for Hermione to do. And she knew that Viktor supported her getting as much of an education as she was capable of. And that made her appreciate him even more.

She gave him a hug, feeling sad as she boarded the train with the rest of her friends. But once she got to her compartment, she found Neville and Luna sitting with Ron, Harry, and Ginny. She'd seen Padma and Pavarti on the platform, but she was fairly sure they hadn't boarded yet.

She sat down on one of the benches and stared out the window. The station was busy, full of students and parents trying to get everything settled and everyone on the train. It wasn't as bad as it was during the start of the semester, due to the students who stayed at Hogwarts.

By ten o'clock, they were on their way. Padma had squeezed in next to Neville. It was a rather cramped compartment, but the conversation was lively and the company was great. It made her happy to be returning to school.

The countryside flew past them as they talked the afternoon away. They played a few games of exploding snap, and Harry went over his plans for the DA with Hermione. They were so busy that it came time for them to change into their school robes far sooner than they anticipated.

They walked into Hogwarts silently. There was a sense of overbearing doom, and no one could really understand it. But they straightened their shoulders and walked forward with as much confidence as they could muster.

"You think she'll still be here?" Neville asked, referring to Umbridge.

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I doubt she'll leave unless she has to. And she's still got the minister on her side."

They all groaned at that. If there was one thing that was worse than Umbridge, it was her having the backing of the government. It meant that she could get away with almost whatever she wanted to. And that was a scary thought.

She was already "Hogwarts High Inquisitor." That was bad enough. All the ridiculous decrees were getting on everyone's nerves. Even Professor Binns. And that was saying something. Binns hardly cared about anything other than lecturing his students into sleep.

They managed to get through the feast without catching her attention. Well, everyone except Harry. But Harry had essentially been singled out for special punishment due to his inability to keep his mouth shut. The rest of them helped him be civil enough to get back to the common room without trouble.

"That woman has got it out for me," Harry fumed.

"Well you certainly don't make it hard for her to get you into trouble," Neville said.

Everyone knew how Harry had a hard time controlling himself when it came to Umbridge. He kept insisting that Voldemort was back, and he was. But that didn't mean he had to push the issue around Umbridge. Everyone knew that she was going to believe contrary.

Hermione flopped down onto the couch pulling a book out. She opened it, trying to get some reading in before everything started up and it was all she could do to keep up with her work and everything. She had standards that were much higher than that of the rest of her house.

"Missing someone?" Neville asked.

"If you have to ask, you already know the answer," Hermione said.

"Who's Hermione missing?" Lavender asked as she entered the common room.

"Her boyfriend," Harry said.

"Ooh." Lavender plopped down next to Hermione on the couch. "Are we still dating Viktor Krum?"

"The one and only," Ron huffed.

"So what's it like dating the Bulgarian bon-bon?" Fred asked.

"Enlighten us Granger," George said.

Hermione shut her book with a little more force than was strictly necessary.

"The biggest issue I have is that I don't get any privacy," she said. "Now if anyone needs me, I'll be in my room."

She climbed the stairs, and wound up on her bed. She read a chapter before deciding that she had had enough. She pulled out a pen and closed her curtains.

 _Viktor?_

 _Hermione,_ came the response.

 _Are you back in Bulgaria?_ Hermione asked.

 _Just got back with your parents. Muggle flying is very different._

Hermione couldn't keep the laugh inside. She had done both. And she really hated flying on a broomstick. It felt so unsteady. But inside a plane, she didn't really have many fears about that.

 _That it is,_ she wrote. _I imagine if you do it often enough, you'll get used to it._

 _Not sure I want to get used to it. It takes so long._

Hermione found that she couldn't argue with him on that. It did take a long time. And she was sure that Viktor had things he would rather be doing than spending on hours on an airplane.

 _I doubt you'll need to spend much time on them,_ she wrote.

They continued in that vein for at least an hour. They were still discussing the benefits of muggle vs magical transport when Hermione fell asleep, pen dropping to the floor.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I don't even have a reason for that. I just have been feeling very uninspired lately. Hope you enjoy it.


	47. Chapter 47

The days turned into weeks. Hermione found that she was so busy she hardly had time to breathe, let alone worry. Which was a good thing. She might have worried herself sick with everything going on if she let herself feel the stress.

D.A. meetings came and went, and the inquisitorial squad was formed. No surprise that Malfoy was on it. He always seemed to find ways to annoy Harry. Hermione probably would have found that amusing if she'd had the time to think about it properly.

As it was, she sometimes felt like she was slipping down a path to insanity. She had come up with fake galleons so that they could get word out to people. But that didn't stop anyone from being followed. She was still glad that the jinx she had put on the list of members seemed to be doing its job.

"You doing okay?" Neville asked her at breakfast.

She shook her head. Part of her didn't even know how she was still functioning. The other part of her knew that most of it had to do with her daily talks with Viktor. She managed to shed a little of her stress with each conversation.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Hermione said. "I feel slightly silly for being so stressed when Harry's got so much more on his plate."

"Just because Harry has some unnatural ability to get himself into the worst situation possible doesn't mean that your problems aren't valid," Neville said.

"When did you get to be so wise?"

"I learnt from the best."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She figured Neville was talking about Dumbledore or something, but he could be teasing her. And the way he seemed to smile at her certainly hinted at it.

"Morning guys," Harry said.

"Morning Harry," they chorused.

"How'd you sleep?" Hermione asked. She might have been stressed, but she still cared.

"Better than I have in a while. Cho agreed to meet me for a date at Hogsmeade next weekend," he said.

While Harry and Cho had sort of been dating, they had both sort of fallen out of each other's fancy. But neither of them had the guts to say much about it. So Harry was hoping that this date would bring either the attraction back, or the gumption to end things.

It did help a tad that it was getting close to Valentine's day. That holiday tended to bring out emotions in people that usually lay dormant.

Hermione was a little upset that Viktor wouldn't be around, but she understood. jAnd there was a greater part of her that was relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with fangirls while she was just trying to spend time with her boyfriend.

"That sounds great. Are you still going to help me find that book?" Hermione asked.

She was talking about a tome that they'd been looking for in the library that concerned defense against the dark arts. Professor McGonagall had written a note to Madame Pince, giving them access to the restricted section.

"Absolutely. We're planning on having lunch, so there should be plenty of time in the afternoon to find it," Harry said.

"Right then," Hermione said and turned back to her food.

* * *

The morning of the Hogsmeade weekend came a little faster than anyone expected. Neville and Ron headed off to Zonko's joke shop and the quidditch store. Hermione headed into the bookstore.

She was looking for something, though she wasn't quite sure what. But she knew that she needed to find something on magical runes. She had swirled a protective symbol onto her leg absentmindedly one evening prior, and it had vanished.

She was looking through practically every tome on runes when Draco Malfoy came in. She could almost feel his presence. But it was his footsteps, strangely distinctive, that indicated it was him and not just some other student.

"Looking for something Granger?" Malfoy asked. It was always so strange how he could make something so simple as a surname sound like an insult.

"Of course," Hermione said as civilly as she could manage. "What else does one do in a bookstore?"

He nodded at that, though his face screwed up as if she smelt awful. At least there weren't a ton of people. Malfoy was always worse with an audience.

She turned back to the books. She picked about six of them out. Those were ones about runes. And then she took a whim, and picked up a book on pureblood marriage customs. She was glad that the cover didn't have anything incriminating on it. She would never have lived that down.

She headed back to the castle, determined to get a head start on looking for that book. She'd been there for a few hours when Harry came in to the library. He was frowning, determination written all over his face.

He pulled a book out and started thumbing through the pages. Thankfully he did so with care, in spite of his obviously high strung emotions.

"I guess it didn't go well," Hermione said, looking at his face.

"That's definitely one way to put it," Harry said. "I'm just glad it's over."

"Want to talk about it?" Hermione offered.

Harry shook his head. "Cho's really interested in Marietta Edgecomb."

Hermione managed to keep her jaw from dropping open. Marietta Edgecomb was probably the person that Hermione trusted the least. At least the D.A. member that she trusted the least. Though she could usually count on the Slytherins to be frustrating obstacles.

"I guess that's better than you making her cry because you had to spend time with me," she said.

"That's certainly true."

* * *

Hermione was hunched over notes, furiously annotating, when Padma caught up to her. She slid into the chair next to Hermione, and pulled out her own book.

"I'm guessing that you found it," she said.

"Yep," Hermione said without looking up.

"And how was your trip to Hogsmeade?"

Hermione looked up, a wistful look in her eyes. "So many books. I got seven, and I'm hoping that Professor Babbling will give me a text on protection runes."

"Professor Babbling would probably give you anything you wanted," Padma said.

Hermione smirked a little. "She probably would."

They returned to their books for a moment before Hermione groaned and shut the book she had been annotating. She had been staring at it for way too long, and needed a break.

"Need a break?" Padma asked. She already knew the answer, but confirmation was hardly ever a bad thing.

"Very much so. And preferably a conversation about something before I go try to understand it in a language that's not English," Hermione said.

They headed out of the Gryffindor common room and towards the kitchen. It was once they were in the hallways that Hermione noticed something unusual.

"How did you get into Gryffindor tower?" she asked.

Padma smiled coyly. "You really wouldn't think that with a ton of Gryffindor friends, not to mention a twin sister, you could keep me out?"

"Point taken," Hermione said.

They reached the kitchens, and had some snacks laid out for them. They were munching and chatting softly when Padma asked what Hermione had wanted to talk about.

"It's this." She drew a symbol on a spare piece of parchment that she had in one of the pockets of her robes. That was one advantage for the wizarding world. Unlike the muggle world, her wizarding clothes actually had enough space in her pockets for things.

It was a swirling symbol, with a few jagged spikes in it. It was incredibly detailed and beautiful. But it was also smaller than Padma had been expecting when she had heard the words protection runes. And she was sure that it had something to do with the pen that Hermione was using.

"It's beautiful." Anyone could see that. "But what does it have to do with anything?"

Hermione sighed. It was going to be hard to explain what had happened. And she wasn't even sure what had happened. She knew that she needed to talk to Viktor about it, but she wasn't sure he'd know. And she wanted to have a clearer idea of what was going on before she brought it up.

"I drew this on my leg last night, and it vanished."

Padma rotated her gaze between Hermione, the rune, and the wall for about six minutes. She had her thinking face on, which meant that Hermione wasn't about to disturb her. She would come out of it soon enough.

"Have you considered that this is more to do with your bond than the rune itself?" Padma asked.

"Of course I have. But exactly how am I supposed to find a book on that? The one Neville gave me only had one small section on soulmates, and that wasn't comprehensive by anyone's standards."

She placed her head on the table. Sometimes it was difficult to find what one was looking for. Hermione knew that. But she hadn't expected it to be nearly as difficult as it was proving to be.

"You know who you should talk to about this," Padma said. "Viktor."

"I know," Hermione said, but she hadn't picked her head up. She stayed there for a few minutes before taking her pen out and writing on her arm in the familiar Cyrillic letters.

 _Viktor, are you busy?_

 _Not at the moment,_ he wrote back just a minute later. _And nothing in this world could make me too busy for you._

Hermione fought the impulse to roll her eyes. He couldn't see it anyway, and Padma couldn't read Bulgarian. It would have been a futile exercise.

 _Viktor, we live in different countries. And I'm still dating you. You don't have to try so hard,_ she wrote.

 _I know. But I like to tease you._

 _I have a question. You didn't happen to notice anything on your leg recently?_

 _Which leg?_

 _The right._

Hermione was anxious as she waited for him to check. It was obvious that he hadn't paid much attention. It wasn't as if the writing felt any different than normal. It just sort of appeared. But if it had vanished from her skin, it might have vanished from his.

 _Why is there a protection spell on me?_

Apparently not.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry. I might have cut off in a slightly odd spot, but there will be answers soon. I already have some of them planned. It's just a matter of writing them. Which is a bit harder than it sounds.


	48. Chapter 48

Hermione and Padma had been working with Viktor and Neville to find everything and anything they could about soulmates and the bonds between them. They had found that the subject wasn't researched nearly as much as one might hope.

It was late one night when Hermione was reading the book on marriage runes she had picked up in Hogsmeade the last time she had been, when she came across something.

 **Runes, particularly bonding and protection runes, are more lasting on souls that are tied together. They might vanish from on individual or the other, but they will protect and bind the pair more tightly than runes on souls that haven't mingled with each other.**

"What do you think this is?" she asked Neville.

Neville took the book from her, reading the words that had taken her a few second with a little more care. No one read as quickly as Hermione, except for some of the Ravenclaws, and he was going to understand it just as well as she did.

"I can certainly say that I wasn't expecting that," he mumbled.

"I certainly wasn't expecting them to put it out there so bluntly," Hermione muttered.

Neville smiled. "I don't think anyone was," he said.

"Probably not," Hermione said.

She looked around the common room and determined that they were alone before writing to Viktor.

 _Are you up? I think we found something._

She had to wait a few minutes before seeing any response. Part of her thought that Viktor had gone to sleep, but he hadn't said goodnight. He usually did that before nodding off.

 _Yes. What did you find?_

Hermione paused, thinking how to phrase it best. There was the translation, though that came easier and easier with each passing day. But it was still strange to not have some words that were commonly used in English.

 _It's sort of an explanation on why you've got that rune on you. The book I'm reading said that bonding and protection runes are stronger through soulmates. And that they don't fade from the partner that was marked. Meaning you, not me._

She waited for a moment. She didn't know how Viktor would react. She hadn't been intending for a lasting rune to be the outcome, but she couldn't deny that she wanted to protect him more than just about anything.

 _So if I draw one, you will be protected too?_ Viktor wrote.

 _That's the idea._

There was figurative silence for a few moments. Neville didn't really feel like interrupting her conversation, and so was just waiting for her to fill him in. That, and the fact that he couldn't understand Bulgarian in the slightest.

After a few minutes, Neville was curious. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm not quite sure. Viktor seems to have some sort of idea, but as to exactly what he's planning on doing, or what it is, I'm unaware of," she said.

 _Check your leg. The right one,_ Viktor wrote.

Hermione pulled her stocking down on her right leg, assuming that Viktor wouldn't have drawn anything in a place that was hard to reach. There, on her calf was a symbol that looked similar to the one she had drawn. But she could almost feel the power behind it. It was a very deliberate mark.

"Wow," Neville said.

"It's certainly something," Hermione said.

"That boy really loves you."

"I would certainly hope so. Since I love him, more than I can explain."

* * *

The next morning, Hermione was reading her book with the cover charmed. She was still vain. And she didn't want anyone asking her if she was thinking about marrying Viktor. Even if she had considered it, it wasn't anybody's business but hers. And maybe Viktor's.

They had discussed it, briefly, before deciding that they were too young to get married then. Perhaps in a few years, with a little more experience, they might make that choice. They knew their ideal paths were along the same lines. But Hermione wasn't even seventeen yet.

She knew that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Viktor. And she was almost certain that he felt the same way about her. After all, he had taken her to a wedding, and been with her through some of the hardest times. And he was keeping her parents safe.

Hermione might not have extensive relationship expertise with anyone save Viktor, for which she was oddly grateful, but she figured those weren't the sort of things you did for just anyone you fancied. She was there for Harry and Ron, and even Neville, but not in the same way that Viktor was there for her.

"You're up early," Neville said.

Neville was the one who was usually the most awake out of anyone in the morning. Even if Hermione was fine with mornings, she wasn't as much of a morning person. But she had been hardly able to sleep with how fast her brain had been going the night before.

"I didn't sleep well," she said hardly looking up.

"I would have thought that the opposite would have been true," Neville said. "And you don't seem as tired as you normally do when you're up all night. How long have you been here?"

Hermione looked up from her book to the windows and the ceiling of the great hall. "Maybe half an hour. No more than that."

Usually it took her at least an hour to be semi-functional when she hadn't slept well. And nearly a whole pot of tea. She had her mug in front of her, but had only taken a few swigs from it.

"That's weird," Neville muttered.

"Tell me about it," Hermione said. "I think it's the rune. It seems to clear up a bit of the fog that sometimes persists when I'm tired."

"Hey guys," Harry said.

Ron grunted something that sounded like an approximation of a greeting. He was probably the person who liked mornings the least. But he kept getting dragged down by Harry. Who was okay with mornings mostly because Umbridge wasn't a morning person at all.

They ate, Hermione paying as little attention to them as she could. She was way more interested in her book. But she still liked to know the general direction the conversation was going. Being able to multitask was a very valuable skill.

The newspaper dropped down on the table, and she shut her book and picked it up.

"Ugh," Ron groaned. "Why are you reading that rubbish?"

Hermione shot him a look. "It's important to know what's going on in the world. And it's not as if we can afford to be ignorant of what's printed in the paper."

"If she didn't stop reading it last year, she's not going to stop now," Neville sighed.

"I'd almost forgotten about that," Harry said.

"How on earth did you manage to forget Rita Skeeter?" Ron asked.

Hermione was just glad that she didn't have to say anything on that matter. She was just as confused as Ron, and had almost lost her grip on the paper.

"With everything else going on, she was just a minor annoyance," Harry said.

"Saying that is like saying that Hermione has a "little" crush on Viktor," Neville said.

Hermione glared at the boys for a second before turning her attention back to the paper. There was section on Harry and the date he had gone on that past weekend. Hermione wondered how they managed to get the pictures, but wasn't going to bother thinking about it more than strictly necessary.

She was more focused on the article. It essentially said that if Harry was claiming that Voldemort was back he shouldn't be out on dates and such. It was a load of codswallop in her opinion. Everyone knew that the last war had increased marriages as people were fearing that tomorrow might never come.

She was grateful that things had slowed down since then, but she was a little nervous that they would pick back up again. And she was extraordinarily worried that they would do so before the end of their schooling. Why that scared her she couldn't say.

She shoved the paper towards Harry. "You need to look at this."

Harry frowned as he read. "Nothing new, but I think we need to get some news out."

"News?" a small airy voice said.

"Hey Luna," Harry said. "Yeah. The Daily Prophet isn't exactly publishing anything actually newsworthy."

Luna seemed to think for a minute, though with her it was sometimes hard to tell. "You should read The Quibbler if you actually want news. Daddy's come up with a dozen new uses for powdered crumple horned snorkack horn."

Harry got a devilish look on his face. "I guess it's time for a meeting with a certain bug of a reporter."

* * *

A/N: Wow. I've been working on this chapter since I posted the last one. I just don't want to look at it anymore. Hope you guys enjoy it.


	49. Chapter 49

The morning after the Quibbler interview was published was a sight to see. Just about everyone at the Ravenclaw table had one. And quite a few Gryffindors did as well. The Hufflepuffs were quickly borrowing copies. Only the Slytherins were ignoring it. No surprise there.

Hermione was glad to see that Umbridge was inspecting the magazine. And she did the only thing that could have insured that every student, even the Slytherins, would have read it by dinner. She banned the Quibbler.

Hermione smirked slightly as copies were confiscated. But she saw numerous students charm them before Umbridge reached them. Without clear evidence, the professor was forced to leave them in the hands of the students.

"You seem happy," Hary grumbled. He was liking Umbridge less and less with each passing day.

"Don't you see Harry? Now everyone will at least read the article," Hermione said. She was careful not to gush or press. Harry would not have appreciated that.

Harry shrugged. He wasn't sure if Hermione was right. But he wasn't about to argue with her. She was usually right. And those times that she wasn't hadn't gotten anyone hurt.

"Whatever you say," he said.

They headed off to class, watching the events unfold. Umbridge was destroying as many copies of the Quibbler as she could. And that didn't look like it was going well.

By the end of the day one of the Ravenclaws had managed to post several hundred copies of the article over the wall in front of the great hall. Another had multiplied her copy of the entire magazine and distributed it through the student population. Everyone had read it.

Harry had to admit that Hermione was right about the article. Even the Slytherins had read it. A few, mostly younger ones, had come up to ask Harry questions. He was very grateful that Umbridge had been busy then. She wouldn't have liked it at all.

"You did well," Harry said.

Hermione shrugged. "I just got Skeeter to write the story my way. The rest was Umbridge. And Padma."

"What did I do?" Padma asked sitting down next to Hermione.

"Purchase and distribute an entire case of magazines," Hermione said nonchalantly.

"We probably shouldn't say that out loud," Padma mumbled. "Don't know who's listening."

Hermione had to nod her head at that. Padma was right about as often as Hermione. She was just sometimes quieter about it. It was easier to work on something that interested you if you didn't shout how smart you were to the world.

"You think she'll be able to find anything?" Ron asked.

They were all a little nervous that they would be found out. The DA was great, but Umbridge would almost certainly use it as an excuse to expel them. But failing their OWLs could be just as bad. Hermione wasn't sure what she would prefer.

"I hope not," Harry said.

Hermione knew that he was repressing a shudder. And she didn't blame him. Detention with that horrible excuse for a woman had left him with a hand that might possibly be permanently scarred. Even with magic.

"We've got practically all the Ravenclaws on our side. And most of the younger Slytherins. I suspect we'll be okay," Hermione reassured them.

Deep down, she knew that she was just as afraid as they were. And she was fairly certain that something needed to be done. But she was unsure of how to proceed. And that uncertainty held her back.

They headed up to their common room, Padma leaving to study in the somewhat quieter Ravenclaw tower. It was only quiet due to strong silencing charms, but it worked.

Both Neville and Hermione were a little sad to see Padma walk off, but knew it was for the best. Umbridge had become more and more paranoid. Knowing that she could snap at any second, they decided to play by her rules for the time being.

* * *

The next few days passed without much incident. The inquisitorial squad was frustrating, but it wasn't exactly anything they weren't used to. Malfoy had made sure of that.

Hermione was finding that things weren't going as smoothly as she wanted. It seemed like every time she got used to the way things were working, something came along that bumped into her carefully laid plans. There was a saying about that.

They had scheduled a DA meeting soon. They still wanted Umbridge to have enough time to relax, and let her guard down. Even if it was a fraction of what it had been, it would be nice to have her lurk from a distance instead of breathing down their necks.

"I still don't know if this is a good idea," Harry said.

Hermione shook her head, hardly glancing up from her book. "I doubt you have a right to wonder if it's a good idea or not. I seem to recall you doing several foolhardy things over the course of your life here."

Harry heaved a dramatic sigh. "I suppose so."

Hermione smiled and turned back to the potions text she had been studying. She was very interested in the subject, even if she wasn't particularly fond of Professor Snape. She was hoping to do well enough to get into NEWT potions.

Harry was working on his next lesson plan, and Hermione had offered help if he needed it. So far, he had been doing fairly well. He had even thought about becoming a teacher after school. His plan was still to become an auror. But Hermione was glad that he was looking at other options.

But with everything going on, they were being incredibly cautious. The room of requirement, as they had been told it was called, had developed into the perfect space for their meetings. Which was part of the magic of the space. But the best part was that Umbridge couldn't get in.

"Working on something?" Padma asked sliding into a chair near the two of them.

Harry groaned. "I think I understand why Snape hates us all so much," he said.

"Just be grateful that you don't have to grade essays," Neville added.

Harry grabbed one of the pillows and shoved his face into it. There was a soft mumbling from him, that no one understood.

"Mind saying that again?" Ron asked.

Harry slowly pulled his face out of the pillow. "Remind me why I thought teaching would be a good idea."

The three other teens laughed, lightening the mood considerably.

* * *

A/N: Sometimes I don't enjoy life that much. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday in a big tube getting a MRI. (I didn't hurt myself. We're just checking to see something that's been there for a while now.) Less than fun. And you can't even really think since it's so loud and it makes you dizzy. But I hope this chapter is good.


	50. Chapter 50

With O.W.L.s coming up, D.A. meetings, sneaking away from Umbridge's wrath, her prefect duties, and trying to keep up with her social life, Hermione was feeling a little overwhelmed. She knew that she could take a breather if she wanted to, but she couldn't find it in herself to do so. She kept feeling the pressure to be perfect.

"You need to slow down," Ron said.

"And he knows that means you won't have time to proofread our papers," Neville added.

"Can't." Hermione didn't look up from her book. "I'm busy."

Neville shook his head. After five years of dealing with Hermione and her need to be prepared for exams months in advance, he knew that she wouldn't be coherent for a while. He took the liberty of filling up her plate and setting it within easy reach of her.

"Thanks Neville," Harry said.

They were all aware of Hermione's propensity to forget to eat. They were equally aware of the fact that she was the best chance they had at passing all their O.W.L.s. She needed to be awake, and not in the hospital wing, for things to work out.

Slowly, they managed to coax the book out of her hands. It was a team effort, and Ron held onto it. He wasn't likely to forget to give it back to her, since he didn't read much if he could avoid it. It just wasn't enjoyable for him.

Hermione ate hungrily, once she took the first bite. Her body knew what it needed. And though she wasn't the best at remembering to take care of herself, she could count on the boys to at least make sure that she ate enough to keep herself from fainting.

Lunch ended soon enough and they were headed off to defense. Hermione was pestering Ron about getting her book back, but he didn't particularly want to give it back before they got to class.

"Hermione," he said, "I'll give it back. But can't you just enjoy the walk without freaking out about O.W.L.s?"

Hermione knew he was right. As much as she hated to admit it, all her friends were right to be worried about her. Even Padma was concerned. That just showed how bad things were getting.

"Alright," she said. Her voice was probably a tad grumpier than it needed to be. "I'll expect it back the minute we get to class."

Unfortunately, she sort of forgot about that the minute they got back. Umbridge was waiting for them outside the classroom, looking for people. She took Harry off to her office for a few minutes, and came back scowling worse than ever.

Hermione had to suppress a shudder. She wanted to run out of class screaming. But she wasn't about to give Umbridge the satisfaction. Especially when Umbridge hated her simply because her parents were muggles.

She sat down at her desk, her jaw clenched. She sat there, silent for the whole lesson. It was a very silly lesson, consisting of notes and readings from the ministry approved text. She was sure that Umbridge was setting them up to fail.

She was so glad for the end of class. She was even happier that Harry had managed to keep his mouth shut. But he still had detention. Which was horribly inconvenient.

"Are you sure it's just detention?" Hermione pestered on her way to the library.

Harry shrugged. "It's never just detention with her. But I doubt she'll do anything rash."

Hermione shuddered internally. She refrained from doing so where Harry could see her. She really didn't want to deal with his concern for her, when she was worrying about him.

"I hope not," she whispered, more to herself than anything. "We're still on for the meeting tonight?" she asked.

"If you think I'm about to let a little thing like detention stop me from coming, you don't know me very well," Harry said.

* * *

Hermione had thought that everything was going okay. Harry had come from detention, after making several stops and detours along the way to make sure that he wasn't being followed. But then the doors shook, and they had to take several preventative measures to keep from being caught.

Everyone was scrambling, trying to get out of the way of Umbridge's wrath. She wasn't a pleasant person under good circumstances. In ones such as that, it was best to avoid her completely. But it wasn't quite possible.

They were caught and herded into the great hall. Dumbledore was there, and confronted Umbridge, which resulted in some circumstances very unfortunate for the students. Dumbledore was gone, and in his stead Umbridge was appointed headmistress.

"This is worse than being stuck in Merlin's pants," Ron complained.

"Considering that he's been dead for a long time, I doubt that," Harry said.

"It's still a bad thing," Neville mumbled.

"Shush," Hermione muttered. "You keep talking and we're going to get into trouble."

Of course, she was right. Umbridge arranged detention for them the following day. It was Saturday, which made it easier for her to schedule, and more annoying for them.

Hermione was silent as they walked up to Gryffindor tower. She knew what the next day would entail, mostly due to Harry's detentions. And it scared her. But she knew who was responsible, and felt confident that Marietta Edgecomb would get her comeuppance.

 _Viktor, I need to talk to you,_ Hermione wrote.

 _What's wrong?_ Came the almost instantaneous response.

Hermione took a deep breath. She knew that she needed to stay calm. If she wasn't she would slip into English and while Viktor was very confident in the language, it would inform everyone of what she was doing.

 _Umbridge caught us. We have detention tomorrow._

She exhaled as she knew that Viktor was reading her message. She watched as letters flashed across her skin before disappearing. It seemed that Viktor was having a hard time thinking of words to say.

 _Don't worry. I'm coming,_ he wrote eventually.

Hermione had a hard time breathing at that. She didn't want him to get into any trouble. And she didn't want him to have to miss a game. She hadn't been paying attention to the schedule, but she knew that they had a few games scheduled for that month.

 _Don't worry too much. I'll be fine._

She was lying. She knew it. She was fairly certain that Viktor knew it. But she wasn't about to tell him to come rescue her. There were tons of other people who needed help. And she wasn't about to let them face whatever Umbridge had in store for them alone.

* * *

A/N: I'm writing the next chapter now. I already started. I was going to include it in this one, but I figured it would take forever to write and read. Some of you might not mind that. I wouldn't but I wanted to get this posted.


	51. Chapter 51

The next day dawned way too early. Hermione was walking down to the great hall when she came across a swamp. It was huge, taking up a whole hallway, and she wasn't quite sure how to cross it.

A boat drifted up to her. She stepped onto it, feeling dread build up in her stomach. She was nervous beyond all explanation. And she knew exactly why. She was sure that something terrible was going to happen, and she was afraid that there wasn't anything she could do about it.

She worked on her breathing all through the boat trip, and all the way on her walk to the great hall. Umbridge was there, looking worse for wear. The lower half of her robe was wet, as if she had tripped and fallen into the swamp. And she probably had.

Hermione sat down, waiting for everyone else to show up. Most of them had, when Harry showed up, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Wipe that smirk off your face Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "We're just waiting for two Mr. Weasleys."

"They'll be here in just a moment," Harry said.

He was right, but not in the way that Umbridge expected. The twins flew in on brooms that still bore chains from her office.

"We think you noticed," Fred started.

"Our little gift," George finished.

They then turned their attentions to the students. "We're sad to say that we're going."

"But we're offering half off our products for anyone who promises to use them against this toad," George pointed at Umbridge.

They then sent a stink bomb at Umbridge, one that was specifically targeted so that only she could smell it. Hermione had to admit that it was a bit of ingenious spell work. But it didn't stop Umbridge from being ruthless with the detention.

If anything, she was angrier and more determined to inflict pain on the students. She had given each student a blood quill and instructed them to write lines.

Hermione hesitated. She knew that anything she wrote would show up on Viktor's skin. That was the nature of their bond. And so she decided that she wasn't about to write the prescribed lines. Instead she wrote in Bulgarian.

 _Viktor. I'm so sorry. I love you._

Each letter carved painfully into her skin. By the time that she had reached the fifth line, the doors to the great hall blew open and there stood several aurors, a distressed Fudge, and Viktor. Hermione dropped her quill, feeling her strength leave her.

Viktor quickly disarmed the acting headmistress, moving over to his girlfriend, carefully checking her over.

" _It will be okay,"_ he murmured in Bulgarian. _"It will be okay."_

" _I know,"_ Hermione responded. Her Bulgarian was stilted and very obviously not fluent. But it was understandable.

She clung to him, using him as her anchor, her rock. It certainly helped that Viktor was big enough to be a rock. She held onto him, with all her strength, not knowing what would happen if she let go.

The aurors rounded up the blood quills and took statements from most of the students. Fudge was attempting to deny knowledge of the situation. He was failing rather spectacularly. It was particularly amusing to Harry.

Hermione was rather wrapped up in Viktor to notice what was going on around them.

" _I'm so sorry,"_ she murmured.

" _Whatever for?"_

" _I hurt you."_ Hermione couldn't stop blaming herself for that.

Viktor kissed her, hoping that it would transcend the barrier that words seemed to create. It wasn't the difference between languages. That didn't exactly help, but he couldn't find the right words in any language.

Hermione responded, almost instinctively. She knew that he still cared for her. She had never doubted that. She had just expected less concern and a little more hurt. Even if she hadn't been at fault.

Standing there in the great hall, Viktor's hand was very visible. There was still a slight residue of blood, from where the letters had been carved into his flesh. It looked like it was healing already, but it looked strangely familiar to some of the students.

"You don't think?" Lavender said to Pavarti.

"Sure looks like it," Pavarti said.

"She would have said something," Lavender protested.

Pavarti shrugged. "But not to us."

They both looked at Neville and Padma.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?" Lavender asked.

"You're going to have to be more specific," Neville said.

"We know quite a few things about Viktor and Hermione," Padma added.

"Like what their favourite colours are," Neville supplied.

Both Pavarti and Lavender rolled their eyes. They turned their attention back to the couple, trying to figure out if their suspicions were correct.

" _Marry me,"_ Viktor whispered.

Hermione looked up at him. They had discussed the subject, but had decided that the question was best left until Hermione was of age. Something had changed. Obviously. But she wasn't sure if he was merely asking out of desperation.

" _You're sure about this?"_ she asked.

" _As sure as I've been about anything. I love you."_

Hermione nodded. _"Then yes."_

Madame Pomphrey moved through the students. She bandaged up hands, gave pain potions, and made sure that none of them were going to bear scars. It was a long process, and by the time she was done, the aurors had collected enough evidence to arrest Umbridge and reinstate Dumbledore.

"Alright Mr. Potter," Pomphrey said, "that should be everything. But I'll expect to see you next week to check on it."

"You have a standing appointment?" Ron asked.

"He's had one every week since school started," Hermione said.

She managed to keep the grin off her face, but just barely. She was still leaning into Viktor and he hadn't let go of her hand, even though his was probably worse off. Or it looked that way, just because his blood hadn't been used to write.

They were all dismissed to go relax, and spend the rest of the day doing whatever they felt was easiest to get their mind off the morning. Hogsmeade privileges had been opened up for everyone over second year. And the first and second years were quickly organizing a game of pickup quidditch.

Hermione and Viktor wound up in a secluded spot of the astronomy tower. She curled up into his side, relishing the comfort of his physical presence.

"Vhat are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm just glad that I get to spend time with you. I don't know when you'll be going back," she said.

"I haff a few days off," he said. "Especially since your mother is vorking vith our ministry."

Hermione had to admit that there were certain advantages to having a parent who worked with the government. And they'd done well with her mother's ideas and plan. They'd cut back on over half of unnecessary obliviations.

"How's that been going?" she asked. She had an idea, but she mostly just wanted him to talk.

"Your mother is an excellent diplomat," he said. "Ve are lucky to haff her."

He talked on about policy and procedure, occasionally slipping into Bulgarian when the words eluded him. Hermione just listened to him, enjoying the sound of his voice. Being apart from each other had been hard. And she shuddered to think about how long the next two years would be.

* * *

"You alright?" Harry asked that evening.

Hermione had been staring at her food with such an intensity that the rest of her friends were slightly surprised that it wasn't catching fire. "What?" she asked, startled out of her focus.

"You've been distracted all day," Padma said. "We know that Viktor was a bit of a surprise, and that you're always a little distracted when he comes to visit, but this is more than normal."

"Oh." She looked down at her plate, a light blush colouring her cheeks. "It's nothing important."

The other four looked at each other. Padma shook her head. Neville nodded at her.

"Sorry 'Mione," Ron said. "Whatever it is, it's pretty big. Which means it's important. Especially this close to O.W.L.s."

Hermione wasn't thinking about exams for once. She knew that she understood the material. She was more interested on the idea of life after school, and tests weren't going to determine the future that she was going to have. At least in the area she was focused on.

"I just got my perspective back. I'll be able to help anyone study anything they need help with," she said. "And you shouldn't have to worry about making sure that I eat."

"I sure hope so," Ron said. "Your boyfriend is scary."

Hermione smiled, knowing something that she wasn't quite ready to share with everyone else yet.


	52. Chapter 52

Without Umbridge there, they were having a bit of a gap in the schedule. But everyone, even the Slytherins, agreed that it was better than having her horrible attempt at teaching. They had progressed more than they had the entire year just by having a dedicated study period.

"I still don't know why everyone looks to me for instruction on things," Harry said.

Neville chuckled a little. "Mate, you were leading a 'study group' for quite some time. And everyone can see how much it's helped. Everyone's willing to take a little instruction from someone competent."

"Especially if they want to pass their O.W.L.s," Hermione added, not looking up from what she was writing.

"Is everything about exams for you?" Harry teased.

Hermione did look up at that. "With your abysmal typical results, I'd expect you to worry over your exams. You need N.E.W.T. potions in order to be an auror."

Harry groaned. "I know. And Neville's gotten better at it than me. What happened?"

"Viktor," Neville said simply.

"Viktor Krum taught you how to make potions?" Harry asked.

"That's him."

"And you willingly let Viktor have him near a cauldron?" Harry asked Hermione.

"They didn't do anything dangerous," Hermione said. She had turned back to her letter, scribbling away in her neat handwriting in letters that were unfamiliar to the boys.

"I doubt, no offense Neville, that anything Viktor could have taught him in regards to potions would have included an element of risk."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "They made soup. I really doubt, aside from a very low possibility of food poisoning, there was any risk involved."

"Cooking is pretty much the same as potions," Neville added. "Probably why Fred and George are so good at what they do."

Hermione scrunched up her nose and pulled her quill away from the parchment. She didn't want the ink to bleed, and she knew that she was going to be distracted for at least a few seconds.

"I never thought of that," she said.

Mrs. Weasley was a phenomenal cook. And she had made sure that each of her children could at least make food that wasn't gross. Even if they didn't have much of an interest in it. And she had taken time to help Harry and Hermione learn before she realized that they were capable of not only making sure that they didn't starve, but that they could feed people well.

"Me either," Harry said.

"So we made soup. I knew the steps for the potion, and I make sure to know them by heart before we make a potion. That way I don't have to think as much around Snape," Neville said.

"Still scary?" Harry asked.

"I think he'll always be scary," Neville admitted. "But, if things get too bad I just imagine him in my gran's clothes."

All three of them smiled at that. The sight of the boggart in third year still made everyone's time with the strict potions teacher much more bearable. He was still liable to scare most of the students into submission, but they weren't usually scared enough to make huge mistakes.

They were starting to giggle over it when Ron came in, and flopped down on the armchair near them.

"What are you guys up to?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "Not much."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Only if you don't count writing a novel as much."

"Krum?" Ron asked.

"Considering that I'm fairly sure she's writing in Bulgarian," Neville said, "I would have to say yes."

"You guys do realize I'm still here," Hermione said.

Ron shrugged. "You happen to be writing to your boyfriend. I'm still not the most thrilled about you dating him, but I am grateful he saved us from Umbridge."

"We all are," Neville added.

Hermione felt mildly conflicted at the mention of that day. On the one hand, it had been horrible. The pain was bad, but knowing that she was hurting Viktor was worse. And that was probably why she had written words that weren't the lines.

She was also glad that Madame Pomfrey had given her something to make the scars go away faster. She had known what was going on with Hermione and Viktor the moment she had seen the cuts on his hand. And she knew that both of them liked some semblance of privacy.

She also was glad that no one was really pestering her, thought she could almost feel the anticipation in her dorm. Lavender and Parvati were patient enough, but wanted her to tell them. She wondered how long it would be before the papers caught wind of it.

"I know," she whispered. "I kind of told him before what was going on."

"That explains how he got there so fast," Harry said.

"We had been wondering about that," Neville added.

"And I've been wondering how they were certain he was going to show up at all," Ron said.

Hermione blushed. She had told both Harry and Neville about her soulmate connection. She just hadn't found the right time to discuss that with Ron. And he certainly wasn't going to like the idea of her keeping something from him.

"About that," she started. "Viktor and I talk. Quite a lot. Almost every day."

Ron looked pointedly at the long letter she was writing. "I can see that. But how do you get it to him so fast?"

"That's just it Ron. I don't," she said. "Bulgaria is a fair distance away, and I don't think any owl could fly that fast. He actually got an international portkey here."

"Then I have no clue what you're talking about."

Hermione looked to Harry and Neville for help explaining. Harry shook his head. He really didn't want to be caught in the middle of another argument between them. He also had the excuse that he wasn't particularly knowledgeable on the subject of soulmates.

"Ron, you know how Hermione always seems to have ink stains on her hands?" Neville supplied.

"Of course I do. Don't we all? Quills aren't exactly the cleanest method of writing ever," Ron said.

Hermione had taken the liberty of showing him muggle pens. He was slightly fascinated by them, but she wasn't too focused on that most of the time.

"Ron, have you noticed that the ink stains on my hands have faded slightly over the past year?" Hermione asked.

"Now that you mention it," he said. "But you haven't been doing as much studying. Thank goodness. We love you Mione, but you can be scary when you study."

She couldn't argue with that, as much as she wanted to. She was fairly awful when she got caught up in something. Her friends were fantastic to make sure that she kept eating and such. And Viktor helped her from going crazy.

"Well, that's not the only reason," she said. She looked down at her hands, a new bracelet that matched the pendant she wasn't ever without adorning her left wrist. "What do you know about ancient magic?"

"Admittedly not much, but that's pretty normal," Ron said. "Ancient magic is an unpredictable little beast."

"Tell me about it," Neville whispered.

"Well, Viktor and I share a bond. One that seems to have been there since I was born. And when he gets ink stains on his hands, because that happens when he writes, it sometimes shows up on my skin."

Ron's jaw dropped. "You don't mean?"

Hermione nodded. "Just please don't go screaming about this."

"Why would I do that? A soulbond is considered sacred. And I know how much you hate being in the limelight, in spite of the fact that you're practically engaged to a famous quidditch star."

Everyone around them relaxed. No one had known how Ron would react, and were a little wary of telling him. But he had been a good friend, and had never done anything unforgivable. His jealousy, typical of a younger child, sometimes got the better of him. But they could understand why.

Hermione hugged Ron. She knew he would always be close to her. He and Harry were the closest thing to siblings she had, and she certainly thought of them like that.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," he said.

* * *

A/N: No, Hermione hasn't mentioned that Viktor asked her to marry him. She's hoping to hold off on that for as long as possible. And Ron and Ginny are training to try out for the quidditch team next year. But I'm glad that she finally told him. And yes, he's a teenage boy, so she was nervous about him telling people. But Ron is actually a great guy. (All teenage boys have bad times. And as a middle child, he probably feels a little smothered and overlooked at the same time. My sister tells me about that all the time.)


	53. Chapter 53

The time for O.W.L.s came much faster than anyone wanted. Even Hermione wasn't particularly thrilled with it. She was prepared, likely several times over, but still was nervous. It was probably due to the fact that she was facing the largest exams she had experienced yet.

She studied in between tests, but took great care to make sure that she was eating. Viktor wouldn't like it if she neglected to eat because of a test. He knew that she wasn't always the most dedicated about that, but she tried.

"Hey there," Padma said after the Herbology O.W.L..

"Hi," Hermione breathed. "That was certainly different than what I expected. How'd you fare with the devil's snare?"

Padma shuddered. After their excursion the last year, she had a tremendous fear of the plant. "I remembered what Neville said. And I didn't panic. Just sort of let the plant do its thing and then went on my merry way."

"Good for you. I know how hard that must have been," Hermione said.

Hermione remembered that she had had a hard time relaxing when she, Harry, and Ron had fallen into it during their first year. And with Padma, she knew the exact digestive process of the plant. Which must have made things a thousand times worse.

"I just don't want to think about it," she said. She sat down in the great hall, and picked up a sandwich. There were snacks all around for those who had tests. Which was pretty much everyone.

"Well, defense against the dark arts is next. You ready?"

Padma smirked. "I think that's the class I'm the most ready for. But I can't wait for exams to be over."

"I'm right there with you," Hermione said. "I just want this year to be over."

"You wouldn't be looking forward to spending a little time over in Bulgaria, now would you?" Padma teased.

Hermione faked a shocked look. "I can't believe you would think that? That I would want to spend time with the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful man on the planet."

She sounded a little dreamy at the end, ruining the façade. She was looking forward to spending some more time in Bulgaria. And she was looking forward to actually spending more than a day or two with Viktor.

"Let's just get through exams," Padma said.

"I think we can manage that."

They headed off to the next exam, where they found Harry pouring over a textbook. He seemed more nervous than they had ever seen him, and that was saying something.

"Are you alright?" Padma asked.

"I don't think I've seen you ever study so much for a test," Hermione added.

"I have to do well on this," Harry said. "I have to prove that I'm competent. That I actually can do this."

Hermione knew that for both of the paths that Harry was considering, he needed to do especially well on his defense O.W.L.. And she also knew that he wanted to prove that he could do something well, and then teach it to his peers. It was likely stressing him out.

"You'll do fine Harry. I'm sure of it," Padma said.

Harry relaxed a little at her words, but continued studying until his name was called. The exam went by fairly quickly for all of them, and they were in the great hall for dinner before too long.

"I'm so glad we're mostly done," Ron said.

"Just potions and history of magic left," Neville said. "The two subjects I'm the worst at."

"Don't worry," Hermione said. "You know what you're doing. You're going to be fine. I can even make a copy of my history notes for you if you need them."

"You're a lifesaver," Neville sighed.

Dinner was fine, and then everyone save Padma went to the Gryffindor common room. Padma wanted to sleep until morning, having used up most of her energy. No one blamed her for that. And since she was a Ravenclaw, they were fairly certain she could ace her exams in her sleep. Not that they were going to test that theory.

Harry, Neville, and Ron poured over Hermione's history of magic notes. Hermione was reading a wizarding novel about a cursebreaker who had accidentally set one of the curses off and then had to find "his one true love."

She had chuckled a bit at reading the blurb, but it was turning out to be a rather good read. Although she supposed it might be easier for him to find true love if he had a soul bond. But such things were so rare that about half of the wizarding population didn't believe that they existed.

She read a few chapters, offering clarification to the boys when they needed it. And then she decided that she didn't want to be around for revision that she didn't need. Bidding the boys goodnight, she went up to her dorm.

Lavender and Parvati were sitting on the floor, surrounded by tons and tons of notes. She was fairly certain that they were studying for history of magic, since everyone had been hounded by Snape far more than they wanted.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Horrible," Lavender almost wailed. "I can't remember a single one of these dates."

"It will be fine," Hermione assured here. "A lot of the guys are studying downstairs. They've got a copy of my notes if you want help."

"You're a lifesaver," Pavarti said.

They headed downstairs, leaving the dorm empty and quiet. Hermione smirked a little, knowing just how well she was going to do based on how coveted her notes were.

She sat down on her bed, thinking about how glad she was that tests were almost over. She was about to write Viktor when Ginny Weasley came into her room.

"Hermione?"

"Yes," Hermione said.

Ginny and Hermione had talked. They were usually the only girls when Hermione was around the Weasleys. It was nice to have someone else to talk to about things that weren't sports and such. But they weren't great friends. More friends of convenience.

"I was wondering, maybe, could you help me with some of my transfiguration review?" Ginny asked.

Hermione smiled. She liked being needed.

"I'll be along in a minute."

 _I'll write you in about an hour,_ she wrote. _I keep getting asked to help with homework._

 _That sounds like you,_ Viktor responded.

With a gleeful feeling in her chest, Hermione went down a level to the fourth year girl's dorm.

* * *

A/N: I know that Viktor hasn't really been in the last couple of chapters. I'm working on that. After all, they are going to be attacking the ministry soon. Mostly because, even with some help at concealing his thoughts, Harry has a bad habit of not being good at it while he's tired. And the late night studying isn't going to help him any.


	54. Chapter 54

Potions was the subject of the morning. Hermione felt very confident. Everyone was somewhat confident of their ability to pass. Since Professor Snape had started teaching, there hadn't been a single student to fail their O.W.L.s.

By the end of it, everyone was exhausted. They were happy it was over, but that was probably about all of it. And there were certain individuals, Neville among them, who were so glad that they didn't have to take potions at a higher level.

They were at lunch, eating, before the history of magic exam that afternoon. Hermione was almost ecstatic to be done, but they did have to get through the last test. And while she was comfortable in her level of preparedness, she wasn't looking forward to the actual exam. It was sure to be just as dull as Binns droning on in class.

"No more potions," Neville sighed happily.

"For you perhaps," Hermione said. "I'm planning on taking N.E.W.T level potions."

"You and Harry," Padma said.

Hermione knew Harry was still set on being an auror. For reasons that she didn't entirely understand. But she also knew that Professor Snape only took students who had outstanding scores on their O.W.L.s. And for all his studying, that wasn't Harry's strong suit.

"Why aren't you?" she asked Padma. "I'm sure you have the grades for it."

Padma shrugged. "I know I do. But that doesn't mean that I want to study it. I'm much more interested in arithmancy and ancient runes. Less interested in possible explosions."

"You can do those and potions," Hermione insisted.

"Hermione, I love you, but not all of us are geniuses. And some of us want to have a semblance of a social life."

"Thank you," Ron said.

"Please swallow before you talk," Hermione mumbled.

Ron looked at Hermione. For a split second it almost looked like he was going to chew with his mouth open just to spite her. But he thought better of it, and settled for glaring for a few seconds.

They finished eating, and headed to the classroom that had been set up for the exam. Desks were in rows, ready with parchment and quills. It was the standard practice for all ministry proctored exams. Less room for cheating, or so they said.

Hermione was calm and collected, as best she could be while writing furiously, throughout the exam. She finished with about fifteen minutes to spare, and used those to go over her essay. She probably didn't need to, but she wanted to be sure she had done her best.

They were done, and tests were being collected, when Harry screamed and fell to the floor. Hermione turned, shoved her test into the proctor's hands, and rushed over to his side.

"Harry?"

Harry continued to scream until Hermione smacked him. It seemed as though he was waking up from a nightmare.

"What's wrong?" she tried again. He was a little more coherent.

"He's got him. He's got Padfoot," Harry mumbled.

"Whoa," Hermione said. "Slow down. It's just a dream."

By that point people were filtering out of the room. The proctors had collected all the exams. And just Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione were left. Padma had been herded out by some of her fellow Ravenclaws. Hermione suspected she was waiting just outside the door.

"You don't understand, it was just like the dream about the snake. I was there. It was me. And He wants something. Something apparently he can't get by himself," Harry said.

"This sounds like we should check on someone," Neville said.

"Good idea," Ron whispered.

"Neville's right. If we go barging into the ministry, something might not even be going on. And then what would we do?" Hermione argued.

"Seriously mate," Ron said, "when did you become the voice of reason?"

Neville just shrugged. He wasn't sure that he was the voice of reason. He just thought Harry was missing the obvious.

"Well then, who do we talk to?" Harry asked.

"The obvious choice would be Dumbledore," Ron said.

"McGonagall might be less conspicuous," Hermione offered.

"And Snape would probably be able to do something if we can't find the other two," Neville added.

The three looked at him like he had grown an extra head.

"I just mean he's a member of the Order too. He'll be able to get in contact with the others."

"Point taken," Hermione said.

"Even if he is a greasy git," Ron hissed.

Hermione found that she couldn't argue with that. Even if she thought that as a teacher, Snape deserved some modicum of respect, he wasn't the nicest person to be around. And he seemed to have a fondness for being unpleasant.

"I think we should try to get in contact with Padfoot first," Hermione said. "Do you still have the mirror he gave you?"

"Hermione, you're a genius. I was just thinking to use the floo," Harry said.

"I think the ministry's been watching the floos," Ron said. "The mirror would be safer."

They made their way up to Gryffindor tower, Hermione sitting down while the boys grabbed the mirror from their dorm. She was nervous, not knowing what the best course of action would be. And it could be anything.

They came down, and Harry pulled the velvet covering from the mirror. "Sirius? You there?" he asked the dark mirror.

There was a bit of movement, and the mirror lit up as it was obviously picked up.

"What's wrong? I was just about to have a bubble bath," Sirius said.

"You're alright," Harry sighed.

"Of course I'm alright. What's going on?"

"Harry had another vision thing," Ron said.

"You were in it," Neville added.

"I'd say talk to Dumbledore," Sirius said. "Something's going on, and you're in the middle of it."

"Thanks Sirius."

Harry was half relieved, and half fed up. He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to be feeling. He was just sure that he wasn't happy. And he was certainly less than thrilled to be stuck in the middle of everyone's plans.

"Weren't you practicing occlumency?" Neville asked.

Harry nodded. "I think Dumbledore was worried about something like this. But I kind of fell asleep in history of magic, and didn't mean to. Guess my defenses were wide open."

"Explains why Sirius was in your brain. You-know-who must know how to get you to go rushing off on some sort of rescue mission," Ron said.

"I guess we should probably go see Dumbledore," Hermione said.

"Probably," Harry said.

They all walked towards the headmaster's office. And it was strange, since none of them had really gone there of their own volition before. If they could even say that about the current situation. But once they reached the gargoyle, they were all a tad stumped.

"Anyone know the password?" Ron asked.

"Never been to the headmaster's office," Neville said.

"Dumbledore changes them often," Harry said. "I guess he gets a lot of visitors."

"I do," Dumbledore said from behind them. "And you never know when students are going to need to see me."

"Sir, Harry's been having more weird dreams," Ron blurted out.

"Well then, I think we had best continue this in my office," the headmaster said.


	55. Chapter 55

Hermione stood awkwardly in Dumbledore's office, not knowing what to do. On one hand, she didn't feel like she was happy to be caught up in Harry's drama yet again. On the other, she knew that she wouldn't let him face whatever lay ahead without her.

She still felt awkward as Padma was shuffled in by Professor Flitwick. The two girls stood in the corner, watching, thinking. They were the most prone to overthinking, but they were also the most clear and rational thinkers of the group.

They all listened as Dumbledore explained that Voldemort wanted a certain prophecy. And wasn't very likely to show up to the department of mysteries himself to collect it. But that they didn't need to go in order to hear it.

Once they had heard the prophecy, everyone was silent for at least five minutes. Even Padma and Hermione, usually rational individuals, were too stunned to say anything.

"I don't think I'll be heading there anytime soon," Harry said once he recovered enough to speak.

"A wise choice, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore agreed.

"Couldn't he just pick someone else to go pick it up?" Ron asked.

"No Ron," Padma said. "Only a worker in the hall of mysteries or one of the people on the label can remove a prophecy from its spot. It's a rather ingenious piece of magic."

"Alright," Ron grumbled. He wasn't thrilled about being told that he was wrong.

"Sir," Hermione asked the headmaster, "are we free to go?"

"If you'd like. You certainly don't have to stay. I doubt there will be much else to discuss. And I'm sure that you have things you'd rather be doing with the rest of your time."

The headmaster gave them a knowing smile with a strange twinkle in his eye as they left his office. Hermione wasn't sure that she liked the sensation of not knowing something.

"What do you want to do?" Neville asked.

"Not study," Hermione said.

Ron feigned shock. "Not study. Whatever will the great Hermione Granger do then?"

"Struggle to not hit her friends," she gibed back at him.

Ron backed up a few inches. "No need for that. I still remember when you hit Malfoy back in third year. It sounded like it hurt."

Hermione shrugged. "I imagine so. I was so mad at him."

"Don't worry Ron," Harry stage whispered. "She's not going to hit you. Hard."

"Great," Ron moaned. "Just what I need. Another woman out for my hide."

"Ron, your mother and sister are not after your hide," Neville said.

"And you know that Hermione is just teasing you," Padma added.

"And I'm not allowed to tease back?" Ron quipped.

"Only if people understand you," Harry said.

"So, does anyone actually know what they want to do?" Neville asked.

"Nothing that involves devil's snare," Padma shuddered.

"I'm pretty sure she's feeling done with the plant as a whole," Hermione said. "And last year certainly didn't help her fears any."

"That is not my fault," Neville said.

"No one was blaming you," Ron said.

Padma shot Hermione a look that implied that she might, but only if he dragged them back out to the greenhouses. She really hated devil's snare, and would likely never get over that. But she didn't have to like it.

They all headed out to the grounds. It was a beautiful day, which felt right for a day when exams had been finished. And a day when they had managed to escape from the plans of Voldemort, if only because of some clear thinking from Neville.

* * *

They were all practically packed and ready to head home for the holiday, when the Daily Prophet dropped the biggest bombshell. After about a year of calling Harry a liar for claiming that Voldemort had returned, they had no option but to admit that they had been wrong and issue a public apology.

Harry couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He was so relieved to have people acknowledging what he had been saying for a while. And he was even more glad that his friends were alive and safe. Surprisingly, no one had gotten hurt in Voldemort's attempt to grab the prophecy.

Lucius Malfoy, Dolhov, and a few other death eaters were in Azkaban. Looking over at the Slytherin table, they felt a small twinge of pity for Draco. It couldn't have been easy to have your parent thrown into Azkaban, even if he did deserve it.

"How are you feeling?" Ron asked.

Harry frowned. "I think pretty good. I'm just glad I didn't get wrapped up in his schemes again. It's bad enough that I managed it when he wasn't even corporeal. But I guess I also feel bad that I had to be the bearer of bad news."

"I doubt anyone likes that," Hermione said.

"I'm just glad that it happened before we had to go home for the summer," Neville added. "Maybe we might get some peace next year."

Harry snorted. "Hi. I'm Harry Potter. I don't believe we've met."

Hermione stifled a laugh as best she could. She knew exactly what Harry was doing. He was essentially saying that with him around, life would never be peaceful. And he was right. It had been anything but.

"I'm just glad to be going home," Hermione said.

Everyone else smiled at that.

"You're just glad to be able to see Viktor," Ron said.

"Hey. I get to see my parents too," she said.

She couldn't deny that she was anxious to see Viktor. She desperately wanted to see her fiancé. Even if she hadn't quite told her friends that little detail. She was hoping to wait until after the summer. She had no clue how they would take it.

But she was excited to see her parents as well. They had sold their house in London, and spent most of their time in England at Grimmauld place. Hermione felt relieved that they were taking their safety seriously.

"No one said that you weren't glad to see them," Harry said.

"Just that you were more excited to see your boyfriend," Ron teased.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him, before turning back to her breakfast. She loved Ron, but he often got under her skin. She suspected that Ginny felt the same way.

They all headed upstairs to grab their stuff before getting on the train. It was nice that they didn't have to carry their trunks down to the train themselves. Magic was wonderful at times. But each of them had a bag with more comfy clothes and things to do.

Hermione was just about to head down to the train when her sleeve slipped up an inch and she saw the end of a sentence.

 _I can't wait to see you,_ was written on her arm.

A smile plastered itself over her face. Summoning a pen out of her bag, she wrote back.

 _Can't wait to see you too._

* * *

 _A/N:_ I'm so glad this chapter is done! And so is fifth year. Now it's the summer. And yes, Hermione's parents are practically living in Bulgaria. They've sold the dental practice. But they do still do cleanings for any muggleborn who asks. They think they take better care of their teeth. Not relying on spells and all that jazz. And yes, I did find a way for Sirius to stay safe. It broke my heart when he died. I will my best to keep people alive, but the war will have casualties. Unfortunately.


	56. Chapter 56

Hermione wasn't thrilled about the plane ride to Bulgaria. But she found that she didn't mind so much, sitting next to Viktor. He was an excellent conversation partner, even if he had a tendency to forget which word he wanted to use.

"You are allowed to speak in Bulgarian," she said.

"Most of the people on this flight speak Bulgarian," he replied.

"And most of the people also speak English. You're going to have to give me a better answer than that."

Hermione was sort of teasing him. She was sure he had a good reason for wanting to speak English, even if translating some words still took him a while. But his English had improved by leaps and bounds since she had first met him.

"Okay. I vant to vork on my English," Viktor admitted. "After all, it must be easier for you to understand me vhen I use it."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Viktor, I might not be the best at speaking Bulgarian, but I think I can understand you alright. And how am I supposed to get better without practice?"

Viktor looked down at his hands. He wasn't sure how to answer that. He found her attempts endearing, and beautiful. He loved it when she spoke Bulgarian, no matter how inexperienced she sounded.

"You are right," he mumbled.

"I usually am," she smirked. "I'll admit to being wrong occasionally, but you should let me know when that happens."

They chatted through the rest of the plane ride. Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger were busy reading or sleeping. Sometimes it seemed as though they were doing both at the same time.

Hermione stretched out as they walked off the plane and into the airport. It was about as painful as curling up with a book for several hours on a typical Saturday. But she didn't have as much room to shift on the airplane.

"Remind me why we took the plane," she asked her mother.

"Because we've tried a portkey more than once and it was a nauseating experience," Mr. Granger answered.

"Much faster," Viktor said.

"Oh, I don't think I'll argue with that. But we didn't have anything today, and it gave me a chance to actually get some reading done," Mrs. Granger said.

Hermione looked at Viktor and shrugged. She took his hand in hers as they walked through the terminal to the baggage claim. It was fairly late, so they would be heading to the Krum residence for a late dinner and then bed.

They took a cab from the airport. If Hermione's parents hadn't enjoyed a portkey, they would hate apparition. The risk of splinching wasn't going to help convince them any.

Viktor tipped the cab driver, and led Hermione up to the house. Her parents had already made their way to the kitchen, knowing the layout of the house much better since they had weekly dinners with the Krums.

She was starting to drift off, but he managed to get her up the path under her own power. He had no qualms about carrying her, but she did. She didn't want him to do something that she could do herself.

"Don't want to eat," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"You can go to bed after you eat," Viktor promised.

She didn't say anything, just hummed a little. Viktor picked her up, glad that quidditch was good for something. She wasn't heavy, but she wasn't the lightest person he had ever carried. That would be his six-year-old cousin.

"You're strong," Hermione giggled.

"And you are delirious," Viktor said.

"Maybe," she said. "But I know something you don't."

"I don't doubt it," he muttered.

He carried her into the kitchen, where her parents were sitting eating with Mr. and Mrs. Krum.

"Oh, Hermione," Mrs. Granger said. "It looks like she fell asleep on you."

"No," Hermione mumbled. "He said I could go to bed after food."

" _Viktor, take her to her room. We'll send one of the elves up with food,"_ Mr. Krum said.

Viktor nodded at his father, and carried Hermione up to the guest room she had used the previous summer. He was sure that it would be open to her if she ever wanted, or needed, to visit. Until they were married. Then she would be housed in his rooms.

He swept that thought from his mind, and focused on settling Hermione and her trunk down. She'd curled up into her pillow, her mind obviously more than halfway gone.

"Hermione, you need to eat," he said.

Her eyes shot open. "What did you say?"

"You need to eat?" Viktor was a little confused.

"No, before that."

"Hermione?"

She giggled. "You said my name."

Viktor smiled. "I haff been saying your name for a long time loff."

"No. You said it without any problems." She hugged him. "Thank you."

Viktor wrapped his arms around his fiancé. Having her close was euphoric. And he didn't want to let go of her, however much he knew he would need to.

"Let's get you some food."

Food popped into the room on the desk. It was a simple sandwich. But that was probably for the best. Hermione might have woken up a bit but she was still exhausted. And anything complicated or messy would not have been a good choice.

Hermione practically scarfed the sandwich down, then rummaged through her trunk for her toothbrush. Once her teeth were clean, she flopped back onto the bed. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep.

Viktor left, dimming the light as he went. He wanted her to sleep as peacefully as possible. And he knew that he should probably get to bed himself. He had practice the next morning. It wasn't particularly early, but being well rested was never a bad plan.

* * *

A/N: So yeah. This is just fluff. Although, someone did ask me to make it so that Viktor learnt how to say Hermione's name. And I did want to show the learning process of that. I hope I managed that.


	57. Chapter 57

Hermione found that she rather enjoyed visiting Viktor at quidditch practice. She usually took a book and sat in the stands. And she didn't visit every day. There were things to do with her parents, with Viktor's parents, and she liked having time by herself to read.

But she couldn't ever stop feeling giddy when she saw Viktor's face brighten when she popped in to say hello. And on the days where she met him for lunch, she could see how happy it made him that she wanted to spend time with him.

She was headed to practice, book under her arm and a sweater thrown over her shoulders. It wasn't cold, just strangely windy. But wind chill was a real thing, and if she sat in the stands the flying could cause winds during laps.

She sat down in the stands, cracking open her book. She knew it would probably be at least another half hour before their coach gave them a break. She snuck glances up at the players, seeing just how talented they were.

It wasn't more than three pages later when she looked up to find Viktor standing next to her.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked

"Not long," Viktor said. "Coach just let us haff a break a few minutes ago."

He looked at her, still slightly messy. It was obvious that he'd come to see her as soon as he was allowed to.

"Yeah," she muttered. She twisted the ring on her right hand. It wasn't big or anything. A simple solitaire diamond in a gold setting. It was simple and understated. Just the way that she liked it.

"I still don't really understand why they let me in," she whispered.

"Because, no one can say not to this face," Viktor teased. He did his best impression of a puppy dog.

Hermione laughed. While it may have worked if he had used it in a situation where he had been trying to appeal to her sympathies, it seemed more ridiculous than anything at that moment.

"Maybe not," she said. "But I wouldn't say that no one could ever say no," she teased.

"You already said yes to the most important question." He picked up her hand and kissed it.

Hermione blushed. She knew she had said yes. She would have said yes a thousand times if it was possible. But it wasn't so one would have to do.

"I guess I did."

They exchanged a sweet short kiss, before Viktor looked at his watch. "I only haff a minute before I haff to be back."

"Then you'd better go," she said. "I don't want to be the reason you get in trouble. Again."

"Vas not your fault. I vas not paying attention vhen bludger comes at me."

"Which was partly my fault," Hermione insisted.

"You can't blame yourself for me not vatching vhat vas going on."

"If I hadn't been here you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Viktor shook his head. "Hermione, I vill always vant you around. Pain or not."

"Go," she said. "You're going to be late."

He pecked her lips again before flying off to meet the rest of the team. Hermione sat down with a sigh. She wasn't going to be able to focus on her book at all.

She watched them practice until it was time for lunch. She picked up her book, ready to head off as soon as Viktor was ready. He rushed up the steps about ten minutes later, his hair still wet from his quick shower.

"You ready?" she asked.

"Always," he said.

They walked out of the stadium and to a little café just a few streets away. It was small, quiet, and distinctly muggle. Which was great for anonymity. Neither of them really wanted to be stalked by press. Especially with the appearance of a ring on her hand.

Hermione found lunch enjoyable. They talked about the book Hermione was reading. It was a Bulgarian novel. Viktor had read it and recommended it to Hermione. Between watching Viktor, and reading in a language she was still just learning, she was still towards the beginning.

Viktor was very careful to avoid spoiling any plot points. He asked her where she was, what she liked. It was enjoyable for both of them, but mostly Hermione, to have someone to talk to about books.

Lunch finished and Hermione met her parents to head over to the ministry for a meeting with one of the international ambassadors from Australia. While they were still in the early development stages in Bulgaria, Australia was looking at implementing a similar program.

Hermione listened as they talked, and did her best not to crack open the book that she had shrunk and put in her pocket. She was fingering it, desperate for something to do that was more interesting than small talk.

Apparently small talk got things done. Or there was more being said than Hermione realized. The Australian ambassador arranged a time for the Grangers to visit Australia and help implement a program in early January.

Hermione had to admit that she was impressed. She managed to refrain from reading until they got back to the Krum's house.

Once they were there, she curled up in one of the sitting rooms. It was close enough to the dining room that she could hear when people were ready to eat. It was close enough to the door that Viktor would be able to find her soon. And it was well lit and airy.

It almost reminded her of Ravenclaw tower. The light filtered through the space, breezy and airy. And both spots were beautiful and full of books.

Viktor found her easily enough when he returned home. He stood in the doorway, just watching his fiancé. Her hair spiraled down her shoulders, loose and free. It glowed in the sunlight. Her face was calm as she mouthed the words of the book she was reading.

He didn't want to disturb her. She looked so beautiful, sitting there as if she belonged. And she did. He crossed over to her, sitting down on the arm of the chair.

"How vas the rest of your day?" he whispered.

Hermione looked up at him. She had known the minute he was in the same room as her. It was almost as if there was a pull towards him. Must be the whole soulmate thing. She knew that if he was panicked or worried she felt it. Even more so if he was close.

"Pretty good. I was rather bored at the ministry, but since it's not my job I think I'll live," she said.

"Good." He kissed the top of her head. "Ve should probably go to dinner before they start looking for us."

* * *

A/N: So fun fact; I based Hermione's ring off my mother's engagement ring. And Bulgarians (and several other eastern European countries) wear their engagement and wedding rings on their right hands. I don't really know why, but it's a fun little fact. And it will make it slightly more difficult for her friends to recognize after the summer is over.


	58. Chapter 58

Hermione looked from Fleur, to Bill, and then to the diamond sparkling on Fleur's hand. She had known of Bill's intent to marry the French woman since Cedric and Cassius' wedding. But she hadn't known when it would happen.

She supposed that she should have expected it. It had been about six months since then. And Viktor had asked her to marry him. She guessed that the man who had been planning on asking for longer would have done so.

"I wasn't expecting to see you two here," she said.

"We know," Bill said.

Hermione turned to Viktor. "You knew," she said.

He held up his hands in defense. "I vanted to surprise you."

Her face softened. She hadn't really been upset. She had mostly been upset that he hadn't told her, but she knew he had a good reason for keeping it from her. And he wouldn't deliberately keep something from her unless he wanted to surprise her.

"I can certainly say that I was surprised," she said.

"We are so happy to see you," Fleur said.

"And I see that Viktor wasted no time in getting you to agree to marry him," Bill added. "Even if he was intending to wait until after you had graduated."

Hermione blushed. She knew that they had reached an understanding while she had been at school. And both of them were a little unsure of how quickly, or slowly, to proceed. And she knew he had been intending to wait.

He might not have said it in as many words, but he had always encouraged her to do as well as possible in her studies. And she knew that he didn't want to distract her from her life. But she wasn't going to let him leave it.

"He kind of asked spur of the moment," Hermione said softly. "I'm sure Ron told you about Umbridge."

"He mentioned her. But I don't see what she has to do with this," Bill said.

"She'll tell you if you let her," Fleur hissed at her fiancé.

Hermione smiled at Fleur. They hadn't interacted too much, but she liked her. Even if she thought it was silly that Ron liked her because of the way that she looked. She was so much more than just a pretty face.

"Well, Umbridge caught us in our unsanctioned study group and gave us all detention. She used blood quills," Hermione started.

"Those have been illegal for a century," Bill interrupted.

"I know. But she had us using them. And Viktor here showed up with the aurors. And then he asked me to marry him."

"How did you know what was going on?" Fleur asked Viktor. "You were here. I know no owl gets here that fast."

Viktor and Hermione shared a look. "There are ways to get word to someone faster than owl," Hermione said. "And Viktor and I write everyday using one of those."

She didn't give out more details than necessary. She liked her privacy, even if it seemed like it was slowly dwindling. But she didn't feel like she needed to tell Ron's brother and Fleur, even if she liked them, that she and Viktor Krum were soulmates.

"Well, good for you two," Bill said.

Hermione smiled at Bill. He wasn't the most eloquent man she had ever met. None of the Weasleys were. They were a strange, but endearing family. And she had discovered a fondness for all of them.

"Vhy don't ve head in?" Viktor said.

They all gave a nod and went inside the house, sitting down in one of the sitting rooms. It was one of the ones closest to the front of the house, decorated in greens and golds. It was very elegant, and obviously designed for hosting well connected visitors.

They sat and talked, catching up. Bill and Fleur told of some of the adventures they had had in Egypt. They were partnering on a particularly complex curse in one of the older pyramids. It was hidden from muggles, and remarkably well preserved.

Viktor shared quidditch stories. Hermione listened to everything, making comments when appropriate. She felt slightly out of place. She was the youngest, by a long shot. And she didn't have very many stories to tell.

They were talking when Mrs. Granger came in to find Hermione for dinner.

"Hermione?" she said looking in.

"Yes mum?" Hermione turned around.

"We're having dinner soon. Your guests are free to join us if they wish."

"Your mother is a beautiful lady," Fleur said.

"She is," Hermione agreed. "Sometimes I wish I looked more like her."

" _I'm glad you don't,"_ Viktor whispered to her.

" _Of course you don't,"_ Hermione hissed back. _"You seem to like me exactly the way I am. Which I'm grateful for."_

"I should have known that she would speak Bulgarian," Bill bemoaned.

"Hush dear," Fleur said. "Let them speak freely. They don't seem to get the chance to do that often."

* * *

Hermione was glad when Fleur and Bill were gone. She was curled up on a couch with Viktor, a book in hand. She wasn't paying it much attention, however.

Instead, she read the same sentence over and over while tracing shapes on Viktor's arm.

"Are you going to turn the page?" he asked her.

Hermione sighed and put the book down. "I don't think I can read at the moment."

Viktor pulled her closer. "And vhy do you say that?"

"Because you're distracting me."

He nuzzled into the crook of her neck. "If you vant me to stop, you haff to tell me."

She turned around and kissed him before a smirk settled on her face. "What if I don't want you to stop?"

Viktor smiled. "I vill be most happy to oblige."

Hermione was so glad that Fleur and Bill weren't staying with them. She felt so much more comfortable snogging her fiancé senseless when people weren't as likely to walk in on them unannounced.

* * *

A/N: I don't know how long the summer is going to last. (I actually know how long summer break is. I meant I don't know how many chapters of summer I'm going to write.) And there is still going to be Ginny, and most of the other Weasleys, disapproving of Fleur. Sadly. I did enjoy the werewolf scene at the end too much to leave it out.


	59. Chapter 59

Hermione found that watching quidditch with Bill was much preferable to watching it with his younger brother. Ron had a tendency to bellow, and boo at the team he wasn't rooting for. It wasn't the best conduct for a sports match. And Hermione found it rather annoying.

Bill was polite in his cheering. Though it was obvious that he didn't care for the game half as much as Hermione. But it was fairly obvious that when it came to cheering for Viktor, only deluded crazed fangirls were going to outperform Hermione.

"You like this game?" Bill teased.

Hermione shrugged. "Not particularly. But I like Viktor. And I'm going to support him in whatever he decides to do."

"And he iz not bad to look at," Fleur said.

Bill bristled a little at that comment. He didn't enjoy his fiancé looking at other men in an appreciative manner.

"Don't worry," Hermione assured him, "she only has eyes for you."

That appeased Bill to a certain degree. He still wasn't thrilled that she seemed to enjoy watching the players more than the game. And Hermione wasn't the most thrilled that Fleur agreed that Viktor was attractive.

But she paid the girl no attention. Bill and Fleur were to be married. And while Fleur might enjoy looking at Viktor, she enjoyed looking at Bill much more. Hermione wasn't about to stop someone from looking at Viktor. Not that she could.

When the match was over, Viktor having caught the snitch, the three of them headed down the stands. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were holding experimental viewings of matches with parents of muggleborns. They would meet everyone back at the house.

"I still can't believe he did that," Bill said in reference to the dive Viktor had performed to catch the snitch.

"You saw the world cup," Hermione said. "That Wonky feint thing still freaks me out."

"Wronski feint," Bill corrected automatically.

"Bill, I know it might have escaped your notice, but I don't actually care what it's called," Hermione said. "It freaks me out every time Viktor does it. And I panic enough just seeing him on a broom."

"Hermione, you haven't known Viktor without knowing that he's a famous quidditch player," Bill reasoned.

"I know. But, especially with the bludgers flying around at high speeds, I worry for him."

Fleur patted her arm knowingly. "It is 'ard to know that 'e loves to do something that could 'urt him. But you would never stop him."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "You've got yourself a wise woman Weasley," she teased.

Bill flushed a tad looking at Fleur. "I did. And the most beautiful woman in the world."

Viktor was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, looking fairly damp after an extraordinarily quick shower. "I vill haff to disagree vith you Veasley," he said. "Hermione is the most beautiful voman."

Hermione kissed Viktor quickly and gently. It was hardly more than a peck.

"You have to think that," she said.

"Do not haff to," Viktor said.

Hermione wasn't going to argue with him. She knew full well what he thought of her. The ring on her hand was good evidence if she ever forgot, unlikely as that was.

"Are ve going to lunch?" Viktor asked.

"Zat was zee plan," Fleur said.

They went to a little restaurant in the muggle world. It was free of the press that was sure to hound all of the players. Hermione and Viktor had found it sort of by accident, but it was one of the better places. Excluding being at home.

"Zis iz amazing," Fleur breathed at the first bite.

"I'd have to agree," Bill said.

Hermione and Viktor shared a smile. They had known the food was good. It was certainly different from what either Fleur or Bill would have expected. They were not used to Bulgarian food, for all that they had been visiting for a fortnight.

"It really is something," Hermione said. "Not as good as Mrs. Krum's cooking, but very good."

"Home cooking is something else," Bill agreed.

"Mrs. Veasley can do something amazing," Viktor said. "I vas most impressed by how much she vas able to cook."

He hadn't spent nearly as much time at the Order headquarters. He wasn't exactly a full-fledged member, for all his assistance. And he had a job in Bulgaria that would be missed if he moved to England, for any reason.

"Mum has a lot of experience feeding large numbers of people," Bill said. "I sometimes wonder what she would have done if she hadn't had to worry about all seven of us."

"Something amazing. As it is, I think she's done something amazing," Hermione said. "It's truly a testament to how wonderful people can be that she loves and cares deeply for all those in her life."

Bill shook his head. "Your parents do amazing things. First dentists and now ambassadors. And not just on behalf of England but all muggles."

Hermione shrugged. She didn't find it that extraordinary. She had seen many people do things similar to what her parents had done, at least go from one profession to another. Her mother frustrated her, but mostly because they were similar in nature.

"They just have ideas that they can't leave alone," Hermione said.

"Perhaps that's the way they're going to change the world," Bill said.

Hermione covered her face with her hands, slightly mortified. "I hope not."

* * *

Hermione and Viktor were in one of the sitting rooms after dinner. She was stretched out over most of the couch, leaning her back against Viktor while they both attempted to read. Viktor was playing with Hermione's curls. Hermione's mind was spinning.

"What do you think of Fleur?" Hermione asked.

Viktor closed his book, not paying much attention to it in the first place. He settled an arm around Hermione. "Exactly vhat to you vant to know?"

Hermione pulled her legs off the couch, and twisted to face Viktor. "She's pretty," she said uncertainly.

"She's a beautiful vitch. But she isn't the prettiest vitch. But you know how I feel."

She smiled mischievously. "I know you're horribly biased."

Viktor shook his head. "I like brown curls more than straight blonde hair."

Hermione shook her head with silent mirth. She wasn't going to get a straight answer out of Viktor anytime soon. Except that she already knew what he was thinking. She didn't really need him to say anything.

* * *

A/N: Hermione still has some insecurities. But she's doing well. And Viktor won't ever get tired of telling Hermione just how much she means to him. He enjoys doing it too much for that to ever happen.


	60. Chapter 60

Hermione looked at the page in front of her. She wasn't thrilled that Harry was sending her terse letters over what was supposed to be the holiday. And she wasn't thrilled that he felt a need for such a thing to happen. But when war occurred, it was rarely at a time that was convenient to all parties involved.

 **Harry,** she wrote **, I know you're busy. I know that you've visited a teacher of some sort. I just don't think that you should get your hopes up about Professor Slughorn teaching defense against the dark arts.**

Looking up, she rubbed her temples. She'd heard the name Slughorn somewhere, and it certainly wasn't in any defense books. She was fairly certain that he wasn't going to be a good teacher for that subject. But she couldn't tell Harry that.

Harry was hoping for someone competent. Frankly, Hermione was as well. There was only so much that she could take after years of teachers barely covering any material. And the last year had been the worst one to date.

She was certain that no one, not even some underpaid ministry hack, could be worse than Umbridge. And she knew that if worst came to worst, she was prepared to ask other teachers for practice time with them. Flitwick, as it turned out, had been a master dueler in his day.

McGonagall was beyond competent. And she was downright scary if anyone pressed hard enough. No one had while in class, somewhat miraculously. That was good. But transfiguration might go more than a little smoother if she wasn't as lenient with punishments as she was.

It was a good thing that transfiguration wasn't usually a dangerous subject. If one wanted to proceed further into the discipline, it would be dangerous. But the things that they dealt with on a day to day basis weren't.

Hermione found that she needed to take a break before writing to Harry turned into too much of a chore. She finished up the letter with pleasantries, and making sure that he was alright. He'd spent a few weeks with his aunt and uncle and was headed for the order headquarters. Or the burrow. Hermione wasn't sure which one.

She made sure to tell Hedwig to bug Harry for her. And then she sent the letter off, ready for something to take her mind off the situation brewing back in England. She pulled away from her room and set down the stairs to wait for someone to arrive home.

She wasn't quite sure what, or who she was waiting for. She just knew that she didn't want to be alone at that moment. And she didn't feel like reading to pass the time either. It was a strange feeling, not wanting to read.

She paused, examining the feeling. It was probably just boredom. Either way, she didn't like it. But she wasn't about to push herself to read when she didn't feel like it. It would make it less pleasant in the future.

Instead she headed to the kitchen. She found a pair of house elves bickering, in much the same way that Winky and Kreacher loved to. She suspected it had something to do with their pride on serving their families to the best of their ability. It made her ever so slightly homesick, but the feeling vanished as suddenly as it had appeared when a clattering behind her notified her of another presence.

She whirled around, finding herself face to face with Mrs. Krum. They hadn't interacted as much as Hermione had assumed. They hadn't avoided each other, but they hadn't been buddy-buddy the way that she and Mrs. Granger had been.

"Oh," Hermione breathed. "I didn't know you were here. I'll just be going."

She moved to leave but Mrs. Krum stopped her.

"No need to feel like you haff to leave. You belong here as much as I do," Mrs. Krum said.

She picked up the metal plate she had dropped, and strode into the kitchen, almost ignoring the creatures as they bowed. She inclined her head slightly, but put the serving dish away as if they had better things to do.

She then walked back out the way she had came. She paused, watching the house elves go back to arguing. "That never gets old," she said.

"Watching them bicker?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely. You would think they were more closely related," Mrs. Krum answered.

"They aren't?" Hermione had assumed that they were at least somewhat related. They were serving the same family, and she didn't know how often that happened outside of family relations.

"Third cousins. We used to haff more, but we were once a bigger family. Dimitri's younger brother has three, and their son has two."

Hermione pondered this. She had thought that house elves were a pureblooded thing. And she had been under the assumption that most pureblooded families didn't have more than one son. Apparently, that was an English thing. Then again, Sirius had had a younger brother.

"At the house we stay at in England, there are two elves," Hermione said. "They fight the same way. But they belong to two different families."

Mrs. Krum smiled. "They can get very territorial."

"That's putting it lightly," Hermione said.

They stepped away from the kitchen. Still talking, they found themselves in what appeared to be Mrs. Krum's personal study. It was light, airy, but still heavier than the Ravenclaw tower that Hermione had subconsciously started comparing every study space to.

"Would you like some tea?" Mrs. Krum said.

"I would love some." Hermione never turned down tea if it was offered. She had found that she was calmed by it more often than not.

It was one of the things she shared with her mother. Helena Granger was a firm believer that a good cup of tea could cure any ailment, mental or physical. And while it probably couldn't heal broken bones, it did a good job of mending a broken spirit.

They were having a good time with tea and silly stories of school. Ivanna Krum had quite a few tales to tell from her days at Durmstrang. It seemed like there was someone who had given Harry a run for his money, but out of his own actions as opposed to someone intervening.

"Excuse me," Mrs. Granger said. "Ivanna, do you have a moment?"

"You don't mind, Hermione dear?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'll just be going. I think I'm actually calm enough to write Ron now."

She closed the door behind her, not wanting to deal with politics at that moment. She had dealt with them for a while, and she just wanted a break. Of course, she would likely be back to dealing with them the very next day. It was just the way things worked.

She was walking up the stairs towards her room when she walked into Viktor. Literally. She wasn't paying much attention to where her feet were going, having memorized the layout of the house the year before. And she crashed into her fiancé.

"Oh, Viktor. I didn't see you there."

"I know. You don't normally valk into me vhen you see me."

Hermione rolled her eyes a little. She loved him, but sometimes he didn't need to state the obvious. Especially since she was just trying to be polite.

"I got an owl from Harry today," she said changing the subject. It was an abrupt change, but it didn't really matter at that junction.

"I hope you let the poor bird rest," Viktor said.

"Of course." Hermione had let Hedwig rest while she took a few hours to think about and then write her message. She had even given the owl some treats and water.

"Vhat did he say?" Viktor asked.

"He managed to convince one of the old professors to come back to Hogwarts. A Professor Slughorn. He thinks he's for the defense positon. But I'm not so sure," Hermione vented.

"I haff not heard that name before."

"Me either." They reached the top of the stairs. "I'm going to grab a quill. I get the feeling that I should write to Ron. Even if the response won't likely be what I want to hear."

* * *

A/N: I felt like we needed more Ivanna Krum. She's great. But I have this idea bubbling in my head. It's so AU it's crazy. (And it's Draco/Hermione so there's that. And Slytherin Hermione. Like I said, crazy.) Anyways. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.


	61. Chapter 61

Hermione was packing, getting ready for her flight back to England. Part of her was anxious to leave. The sooner the year started the sooner she would be able to be back in Bulgaria with Viktor. And perhaps Australia with her parents.

There was another part of her that just wanted to study, take her N.E.W.T.s and then plan a magnificent wedding. Her birthday was in September, and she would be of age. But she suspected her parents would have a bit of a problem with that.

So she continued putting clothes into her suitcase, so glad for the expanding magic she had put on it. It made transporting her entire wardrobe so much easier.

"How's it going, honey?" Helena Granger asked from the doorway.

Hermione sighed, and flopped the pair of jeans she had been smoothing into the bottomless suitcase before sitting on the bed. She didn't know how to tell her mother how she was feeling. But she didn't know how to not tell her.

"I just don't know how I'm going to leave," she whispered.

Helena sat down on the bed, the suitcase between them. "How did you do it last year?" she asked.

"I was excited to see Harry and Ron. This year, I love them still. They're like brothers. But I find that I'm ever so slightly annoyed with them."

"It's been that bad of a summer?" Helena asked her daughter.

"No," Hermione whispered. "It's been wonderful. But it's almost over, and I don't want it to end. I want to just stay in this idyllic space forever."

"That's how I felt about coming home from my honeymoon," her mother said. "I know it's not the same. But I know how you feel."

"I wish Viktor could come back with me, but he has friends, a job, and a life here. I couldn't ask that from him."

She sighed, and pulled out the jeans she had been fiddling with before. She needed something to do with her hands. But even keeping her hands busy wasn't distracting her brain.

There was a knock at the door and Viktor was there when they looked up. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No," Hermione said. "I'm just packing. But I don't want to."

Viktor looked at the closet, and then at the suitcase. He peered in, seeing it continue on for longer than it should have. Undetectable extension charm. He should have anticipated that.

"I thought you vere not leaving for two more days," he said.

"We aren't," Hermione said. "I just want to be ready. I hate being unprepared."

Viktor wrapped his arms around her, kissing her hair softly. "I know. But I haff a surprise if you are not busy."

"I think I can fold the rest," Helena said.

Hermione shot her mother a grateful smile and then walked out the door with her fiancé. He almost dragged her down the stairs and out the door. She was glad to have her mind off England and on something else that she hurried after him gladly.

They were out in the yard when Viktor summoned a broom to him.

"Oh no," Hermione said. "You know I don't like brooms."

"It vill only be for a little while," Viktor said.

"Alright, I'm trusting you." She hesitated. On the one hand, she didn't know where to sit. On the other hand, she didn't want to get on the broom in the first place, no matter how much she trusted Viktor.

He pulled her onto the broom in front of him, holding onto her as he steered the broom. She leaned into his embrace, trying to forget that her feet were leaving the ground.

What felt like an age, but was probably only about ten minutes later, they touched down in a field not too far away. It was far enough that they wouldn't be bothered unless something drastic happened, but close enough to be in contact should the unexpected arise.

Sitting there, was a picnic, packed just for them.

"When did you plan this?" Hermione asked.

"This morning. You did not eat much, and I vanted to make sure you took time to eat lunch," he explained.

"You are the best," Hermione said before planting a kiss on his lips.

They sat down on the blanket, eating the food Viktor had packed for them. Hermione kept pointing out clouds and what they looked like. It was a rather enjoyable way to spend her time. Much less frustrating than packing.

When they had finished eating, Viktor shrunk the picnic stuff and packed it away in his pocket. He held out his hand for Hermione.

"Are we flying back to the house?" she asked.

He nodded, still waiting for her to take his hand. He knew she hated brooms. She didn't trust them. In a world where she was surrounded by magic, she was terrified by the idea of flying on a broomstick. But he knew that she trusted him.

They flew back to the house, Hermione more relaxed than she had been on the way there. She was almost relaxed when they landed, but Viktor knew better than to assume that she wasn't shaken up.

"Are you alright?" he asked when she had a moment to calm down and reassure herself of the ground under her feet.

"I will be," she attempted to assure him. "I just really hate flying."

He pulled her close, embracing her until she could feel her pulse beating slow and steady. Her head resting on his chest could also hear his heartbeat. It matched her own.

She didn't want to leave, but knew that she couldn't stop the year from coming. As much as she wanted to, she didn't have that kind of power. Which was probably for the best.

* * *

Hermione was glad to spend a lot of the plane ride engrossed in a novel. She didn't want to think about the coming war that was brewing. She didn't want to think about magic. She just wanted a simple novel about a simple life.

She had picked up Anne of Green Gables. Hermione found the story comforting, having read it many times over the years. It was strange to come back to, but it also felt like coming home. She supposed it would be the same way she would feel to return to the house she had grown up in.

They stumbled off the plane in the late afternoon. The taxi to headquarters was short enough that none of them fell asleep. They were all grateful for that.

Hermione didn't have dinner. She headed up the stairs to her room, brushed her teeth and was asleep from the moment she hit the bed. She didn't even discard her shoes. The next morning, she sent a profuse apology to her fiancé.

* * *

A/N: So I started my other story. And I'm still working on this one. Goodbye little bit of a social life that I used to have. (I don't have a lot of real life friends. And don't do things. How do you even make friends as a grown up?)


	62. Chapter 62

Hermione was nursing a cup of tea and attempting to eat her breakfast when the owl showed up. She knew that eating was important. And she wasn't about to let anyone nag her for it. And there might be a lot of teasing from the boys if they knew she had skipped breakfast.

"Looks like the results from your exams are here," Mrs. Granger said.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Hermione muttered into her tea. She had slept fabulously the night before. That didn't mean that she was fully awake.

"Want me to look?" her mother asked.

Hermione just nodded, not looking up from her plate.

Mrs. Granger hummed over the results. "I think you'll be pleased with these." She handed the letter over to Hermione.

Hermione scanned over the list. She had gotten outstanding marks on everything save defense against the dark arts. It was the one subject that she was sure Harry had done outstanding on. But she hadn't done horrible. She had still managed exceeds expectations.

"Oh no," Ron said. "Results are here."

"Come on," Harry urged. "Let's just get this over with."

They each took their letter and opened it. Ron got seven O.W.L.s. Harry had done reasonably well, but had only managed an exceeds expectations on his potions exam. And that had been the one he wanted to get an outstanding on.

"Oh Harry. You do still have options," Hermione said. "I still think that you'd make a fantastic teacher. And you don't have to take potions for that."

"I know. I just, had this idea and I don't know how to handle it being taken away from me."

"Everyone has that happen to them," Mrs. Granger said. "It's just part of life."

"Everyone but Hermione," Ron said.

"Even I have some troubles," Hermione said. "I only got an E in defense."

"Yeah," Ron said. "But that's required. You aren't going to get kicked out of class for that."

"I do think I have a solution for that," Hermione said. "Since I'm pretty sure you didn't get an O either."

Ron frowned. He hadn't said his grades, just passed his list to his mother who cooed over him getting more O.W.L.s than both Fred and George combined.

"And what exactly do you have in mind?" Harry asked.

Hermione wasn't quite willing to tell him that she thought that Slughorn would be teaching potions. And that he was going to be far more lenient than Snape ever had been. But she didn't want him to be unprepared should that be the case.

"Well, how about we get you the potions stuff. That way I can help you practice when I have a moment. You don't have to take the class to take the N.E.W.T. for that subject."

"Alright," Ron said, "but you'd better not give us homework."

"As if you'd do it anyway," Hermione muttered under her breath.

She was hoping that Slughorn would teach potions in that moment. If he didn't she would be stuck doing extra work. Maybe she could ask McGonagall for the time turner back. She would need it if she had to teach Harry and Ron and do her own homework.

She finished her breakfast, and then grabbed her robe. She shoved it on over her shorts and t-shirt. It was easier than trying to dress herself in proper wizarding attire, and wasn't totally unreasonable. She knew Harry wore trousers under his robes when he was flying.

Viktor did as well. She wasn't sure if it was a seeker thing or if it was the fact that both of them had a tendency to pull ridiculous stunts while on a broomstick. It was enough to give anyone a heart attack.

They flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione was quite content just to get school things, though she paused in the bookshop for more than a moment before picking up several extra books. She couldn't ever go through a bookstore without buying at least one book.

She was about ready to go back "home" when the boys caught up to her. They were slightly winded, as if they had just run from the quidditch shop. And thinking about it, they probably had.

"What have you two been up to?" she asked.

"'Mione, are we supposed to get potions supplies, or just the book?" Ron asked.

"We already bought the textbook," Harry said. "We were just unsure of potions supplies."

"If we need to, we can order those through the post," Hermione said. "The book should be fine for now."

"I never thought of that," Ron said.

Hermione hid a smile as she listened to the two boys discuss the benefits of mail order ingredients. Hermione was sure Ron wouldn't like paying for them. Maybe she could get McGonagall to help her with that. If Slughorn was actually going to teach defense against the dark arts.

She still thought Slughorn was going to teach potions. But she didn't have any proof for that, and didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. Then there was the little Snape matter. Had he gotten the position he had desperately wanted from the beginning?

Hermione shook her head. She didn't need to think about that for a few more days. Once school started, she would worry. Until then, it was her mission to keep her head clear.

* * *

The train ride was relatively quiet. Hermione read for the first half, listening absentmindedly to Ron and Harry talk about quidditch. Harry had been named quidditch captain, and was looking forward to the season.

Halfway through the ride, Neville and Padma found them. They sat and talked with Hermione until Padma noticed a sparkle on her hand.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked.

Hermione nodded. She was unsure of how everyone was going to react. Her parents were still a little hesitant about her engagement, but they had handled it well. She guessed that the Christmas holiday had convinced them he was serious about her.

Padma squealed. "What's the plan? Have you thought about your dress? When did he ask you?"

"After N.E.W.T.s. No. And the day Umbridge gave us all detention."

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.

Hermione blushed. "This isn't exactly the way I wanted to tell everyone. Especially after you got the news that Bill and Fleur were engaged. But..." she trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

"Hermione's getting married," Padma finished for her.

Hermione shot her a look. While she might not have wanted to admit it right then, she still felt it would be best coming from her.

"Not till after N.E.W.T.s?" Harry asked.

"School's important to me," Hermione shrugged. "I plan on spending the rest of my life with him. He can wait a couple of years."

"Good choice," Neville said.

"Wait, he asked you when we were serving detention with Umbridge?" Ron said. "That long ago?"

Hermione nodded. "With everything going on, I didn't really think that much of it till we got to Bulgaria and there was a ring. I guess I had assumed it would happen sooner or later. And it just happened sooner."

"Alright," Ron shrugged.

Bill and Fleur were planning a wedding for the next summer. As long as Ron didn't have to go to two weddings in the same year, he was fine. The food was usually good, but not enough to motivate him to dress up if he didn't have to.

They all settled into comfortable conversation, until the train arrived at the station. They met Luna and Ginny, and all rode up to the castle together. Luna added some very interesting comments to the conversation.

When they got there, the professors were checking everyone. Hermione was a little frustrated, but figured that frustration was a great deal better than compromised security. She was a little curious about Malfoy's complaining.

He was acting like a three-year-old. She wasn't impressed with him. He should know better. After all, purebloods prided themselves on knowing all manner of etiquette and decorum. He should not be close to having a temper tantrum.

"I think Malfoy's up to something," Harry whispered to her.

"Harry, Malfoy's an entitled, spoilt, teenager. He also has to deal with the fact that his father's in Askaban. I don't think he's up to that much," Hermione hissed back.

"You didn't see him when we were in Diagon Alley," Harry said. "He went to Knocturn Alley and was looking at something Borgin and Burke's. It looked suspicious."

"Harry's right," Ron whispered. "He was looking at some gnarly hand, and wanted to know about the cabinet. I don't know what's going on, but he's up to something."

"Malfoy's always up to something," Neville added. "We'll keep an eye out for him, but let's not obsess over him."

"Alright," Harry conceded.

They walked into the castle, each feeling more and more at home. It was strange how much the place had shaped them. Or not. They had spent the better part of five years in the castle.

"It's good to be back," Ron said.

"I couldn't agree more," Harry added.

They made their way to the great hall. Padma and Luna left to go sit at the Ravenclaw table. It was customary to sit with your house for the opening and closing feasts of the year. Even if your best friend was in another house.

All went well until it was announced that Slughorn would be teaching potions and Snape would be in charge of defense against the dark arts. Harry seemed to fume.

"Harry, calm down," Hermione said. "Maybe Slughorn will let you take potions."

"You think?" he asked.

"I don't know. Might be worth a shot."

"And here I was thinking I would never have to deal with Snape again," Neville groaned.

"It will be fine," Hermione assured everyone. "We've made it this far. We can handle this."

"I hope you're right," Ron said.

"It's Hermione," Harry piped up. "She's always right."

* * *

A/N: Ahhh. Glad this chapter's done. I'm alternating between this story and the other one. (Accidental Betrothal.) Hopefully that will force me to finish this sooner rather than later.


	63. Chapter 63

IT turned out that Professor Slughorn was not just willing to accept Ron and Harry into his class, but welcomed them with open arms. Slughorn had a penchant for collecting individuals who had, or would in the future, influence. They whole potions class was full of people who held prestige, power, or potential. Not surprisingly, over half of them were Slytherins.

The first task that Slughorn had for them was to identify three potions in cauldrons. Hermione went through the first two almost rotely. It felt like she was reciting the textbook, and she might have been. The third, however, caused her to stumble.

"Amorentia is the strongest love potion known to man," she said, her voice shaking. "It's supposed to smell differently to each person based on what attracts them. For example: I smell freshly mown grass, spearmint toothpaste, broom polish, and… And."

The tears came on faster than anyone had anticipated. The last smell had been that of Viktor's soap. It had been so strong that a wave of longing hit her, and hit her hard. She crumpled to the floor, unable to keep from sobbing. Her hand over her mouth.

The Slytherins looked at her with a mixture of confusion and sympathy. Oddly enough, or perhaps not that oddly at all, the boys were the ones who were confused. And the girls showed knowing glances before turning their attention to her.

"Yes. Yes. Amorentia can sometimes have that effect," Slughorn said. "It doesn't cause true love, but obsession or infatuation if consumed. But the smells can sometimes bring out strong emotions."

He covered the cauldron with a lid and put it in his office. With the source of the smell removed, Hermione managed to slow the tears somewhat. Instead of the full blown body shaking sobs that had racked her just a few moments, instead she was weeping softly. The tears streaming silently down her cheeks.

Slughorn returned with a small glass vial filled with a golden liquid.

"Now this is Telix Felicis," Slughorn said, "more commonly known as liquid luck. One drop in your morning tea will make all your endevours successful until noon. This amount should last a month, if taken in the proper dose."

It wasn't a big vial. It was probably full of about a teaspoon, perhaps a teaspoon and a half, of the liquid. The possibility that it could last a month was hard to believe.

"This vial will the reward for the person who brews the best Draught of the Living Death in the remaining time."

Everyone hurried to grab their supplies and books. No one wanted to loose, even if they knew logically that they weren't likely to win. Hermione wiped her eyes, and wound up at a workbench with Daphne Greengrass, who she hadn't spoken to much. Daphne was quiet for the class, which Hermione found refreshing.

Everyone avoided the workbench where Seamus Finnegan had set up his stuff. They were all well aware of his tendency to blow things up. And no one, no one at all, wanted to be close to him whit something as volatile as the Draught of the Living Death. It wouldn't kill them, unless Seamus royally screwed up, but no one wanted to be stuck in the hospital wing until a Wiggenweld potion was brewed.

Hermione wasn't sure how Seamus had managed to get into N.E.W.T level potions, let alone why he was there. Seamus was incredibly talented at getting things to explode. He had been since first year. She was pleasantly surprised that he hadn't blown up the O.W.L. exam room. She guessed that for the practical part of his exam, it was possible that he had been asked to concoct something designed to explode.

There was also the little matter of why he was even in the class. Most students hated potions. Whether that had more to do with Snape as opposed to the subject matter had yet to be determined. But most students dropped it the moment they had a chance.

Harry wound up at the workbench with Seamus. Ron had left him for the safer space next to Blaise Zabini. Blaise might not have been Ron's first choice for a partner, even if it was just for sharing the dest, but he was a much safer choice when it came to potions exploding.

It turned out that being next to Seamus worked in Harry's favour. He, and everyone else, had anticipated the explosion. But most people simply liked to put space between them and Seamus' expected splash radius. Harry was well within that radius.

He had to prepare for whatever might happen. And he had a few tricks up his sleeve. One didn't wind up close to Neville or Seamus and forget to have a lid close by. Just in case. And so Harry covered his potions right before Seamus' blew up in his face.

The explosion was big enough that chunks landed all over the classroom. There wasn't a person who wasn't at least splashed and not a cauldron, save Harry's, that hadn't been contaminated.

Harry's potion book was ruined so he was allowed to borrow one from the cupboard while he ordered a new one. They walked out of the class, and Hermione attempted to head straight up to the showers.

Daphne stopped her. "Come with me," she almost whispered.

"Okay," Hermione breathed. She didn't get much of a choice in the matter, as Daphne pulled her down the hall.

"You're engaged," Daphne said once they were away from the main corridor.

"It's not exactly a secret," Hermione said. "But I don't know why you want to know. You don't even like me."

"I like the gossip about the greatest seeker of our generation," Daphne said. "This might actually get some buzz. And It's not a crime to gossip."

Hermione shrugged. "Like I said, it's not exactly a secret. I'm trying to keep it quiet. I don't like people all up in my business."

Neither Hermione nor Viktor liked the public knowing ever faucet of their lives. Viktor knew he had to put up with it, since he was a famous international athlete. But Hermione hadn't really had any exposure to that until the triwizard tournament.

Being friends with Harry had given her some reference, but he didn't receive the same press coverage. Or he hadn't. Not until he had been the weird contestant in a contest that should have excluded him on so many factors.

"But still, can I at least say that you confided in me with this news?" Daphne asked.

"Well, you're the first Slytherin to know," Hermione said. "I guess you could. But I suspect that most of Gryffindor knows by now."

Daphne smiled. "Still will be great to have the first snippet of news in my house. See you later."

Daphne seemed to skip off, her hair trailing behind her. Hermione watched her go, still surprised by how much her news seemed to impact the world around her. She shook her head and headed off to the showers. She really wanted to get the goop off herself.

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I will say that I'm better at doing it if you review, but I think something's going on. I haven't been getting the emails that I normally do. So I'm not holding this against you.


	64. Chapter 64

Quidditch tryouts were upon them sooner than anyone wanted. Everyone except for a certain Cormac McLaggan. Hermione was so tired of hearing him talk about himself.

Part of her wanted to wave her ring around and scream that she was engaged. Him dating her just wasn't going to happen. But part of her didn't want to scream that to the whole castle, even if most of them knew.

She knew that all the Slytherins knew, thanks to Daphne and her need to gossip. She sat with the Ravenclaws enough for most of them to have noticed her ring. They didn't mention anything to her, but they were too smart to have not realized the implications.

That left the Gryffindors, who knew. They all lived in the same space. And keeping secrets had never been their strong suit. And she guessed by that point the Hufflepuffs knew as well. She might not have any friends in that house, but she suspected that the whole school knew.

And so, even though she hated McLaggan, she wound up on the benches watching tryouts. Lavender Brown was there, and so was Pavarti. Hermione focused on her book until it was time for them to tryout for keeper.

Lavender seemed the most invested in that part. She clung onto the railing, while Hermione watched her.

"Do you have a crush on someone?" Hermione whispered conspiratorially.

Lavender blushed. "You wouldn't tell anyone."

Hermione looked at her like she was crazy. "You know how much I like my privacy. Why would I tell people what's not mine to tell?"

Lavender smiled. "You won't get privacy for very long," she said. "But thank you."

Hermione smiled at her warmly, and turned her attention back up to the boys flying above them. Cormac had saved four saves, and Ron had gotten three. There were only two throws left. Hermione found her nerves growing in her chest.

She had to do something. She couldn't let McLaggan, whom she hated, win a spot on the team. She wasn't his friend, but she was Harry's and he would take her support the wrong way. She frowned, thinking it over.

She watched them, the wheels in her mind turning faster and faster, as they both saved the next throw. Then it came to her.

She muttered a confounding charm, using the wandless magic that Vanessa had taught her in her fourth year. It wasn't the most powerful magic ever, but it did enough and blocked Cormac from making the save.

His confidence bolstered a little, Ron made the last save easily. With the number of saves equal, it would come down to other factors. Sportsmanship was likely one of them. And that thing alone would put Ron leagues ahead of Cormac.

The rest of the tryouts seemed rather quiet. Hermione wasn't interested in much else, and just read her book. She would have to tell Ron what she had done eventually. And she figured that she should tell him that she thought Lavender had a crush on him.

She packed up her book when the tryouts were done. Harry was going to post the list in the common room the next day. He said he had some things he needed to go over in his mind. What he meant was that he needed to talk to Ginny about who was the best.

Hermione was walking up to Gryffindor tower when Ginny caught up to her. "So, Ron says that you're going to be in close contact with a certain world famous seeker for pretty much forever," Ginny said.

"Great. Now Ron's telling people about my love life," Hermione groaned. "Not that you wouldn't be informed, but I've been trying to keep it under wraps."

Ginny shrugged. "He's Ron. He can keep his mouth shut, but I'm his sister. I know how to get most of his secrets out of him."

They walked up to the tower. Hermione couldn't get her mind to be quiet. There were way too many things that occupied her thoughts. And part of her just wanted to be alone so she could talk to Viktor.

"What did you want to know?" Hermione asked. She knew Ginny was looking for something. She wasn't Hermione's closest friend. She was one of her friend' younger sisters. Which made them friendly, but not friends.

"What makes you sure I want anything?" Ginny asked as innocently as she could for being the youngest child out of seven.

She was likely more subtle than Hermione was giving her credit for. But Hermione was suspicious of her intentions, and was watching for every little sign.

Hermione raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. She knew Ginny wanted something. She wouldn't have brought up Viktor if that wasn't the case.

"Aren't the Vultures playing the Harpies over the summer?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I wouldn't think so, but I can ask. And if you're asking for tickets, I recommend that you talk to Viktor for those."

She headed up to the tower, thankfully alone. She didn't want to think about much. She didn't want to talk to anyone, or at least anyone there. There was one person she desperately wanted to talk to, but he wasn't exactly someone she could speak face to face with at that moment in time.

She climbed the stairs and went to her dorm, barely giving any pleasantries to the people who were in the common room. She figured that they wouldn't mind too much. After all, she had spent most of her day supporting some of her friends. And they would be sure to give her regards to Neville when he showed up.

She sat down on her bed, intending to do some reading before she wrote to Viktor. She was hoping to clear her brain a little. But she was hardly able to finish a page before she rummaged through her bag for her pen.

 _Viktor,_ she wrote. _How was your day?_

She waited a few moments. She knew that Viktor was often busy. And she didn't have any qualms about that. He had had practice that day. But she wasn't sure when it would be over. She suspected that two in England, which was four in Bulgaria, was probably not that late. But it wasn't necessarily time for him to be done.

Just a few moments later, the reply came, in rushed cramped writing. _We had practice today. It wasn't bad, but coach went pretty hard on us. We did more running than any of us wanted to._

Hermione smiled. If that was the case they had probably run at least a mile before their practice actually started. And she knew that the beaters of the Vultures hated running. But the chasers didn't mind so much. And Viktor had taken up running with her father.

 _He's just trying to make you guys better._

 _I know that. But you try telling our keeper that he needs to run more than just at practice._

 _Antov needs to stop whining about that._

Antov was the last name of the Vultures' keeper. Hermione knew them all by name, but he ticked her off a little. He wasn't as dedicated to the sport as he could be. And she knew a few wizards who would kill for his spot.

 _I know,_ Viktor responded. _But coach won't fire him because he's actually good at blocking goals. I just wish he would put in the effort the rest of us do._

 _Well, there's a reason that you're the best seeker in the world, as opposed to simply not getting fired,_ Hermione wrote.

 _Well, I doubt I could skip out on my runs with your dad. We run just about every morning. Except for Sundays._

 _I'm just glad that you're getting along. I know that you haven't had problems ever, but it's nice to know that he's not planning on killing you in your sleep._

 _He wouldn't do that. No one else is going to help him with his plans to get muggles into the world cup._

Hermione burst out laughing. She was certain that no matter how much her father worked for it, they wouldn't live to see muggles at the world cup. But she was exceedingly glad that there were two more years until they had to figure everything out for that.

"Everything alright?" Parvati asked.

"My dad…" Hermione giggled some more. "Just something my dad's trying to do. I think he's nuts."

Parvati frowned. "Is this the same thing that caused your mum to try and take over the world."

"Change. I doubt she's crazy enough to try and take over. Especially with the whole wizarding thing," Hermione said.

"Whatever," Parvati shrugged her off. "Don't forget dinner's in half an hour."

"I don't think I could," Hermione said, but Parvati had already left her alone.

Hermione didn't mind that much. She had a number of things she wanted to get done, and she wanted to finish talking to Viktor so that she could focus on them after she was done eating. She barely managed to wrap up the conversation, promising that she would talk to him the next day at the latest.

* * *

A/N: So I got back yesterday from Florida. I had an awesome time, and got a little sunburnt. It's certainly not the worst I've ever been burnt. But still. I think half of it happened because I never go outside. And I loved Diagonal Alley and Hogsmeade in Universal. They were awesome!


	65. Chapter 65

Hermione wasn't looking forward to the first Slug Club dinner. She was nervous, and she didn't really want to go. She knew that Slughorn was picking people with connections or power, and she knew that she technically had that. But she wasn't sure that she should go.

And Neville and Harry were going. It wasn't as if she was going to be friendless. Harry was the biggest star in the wizarding world since who knew when. And Neville was very talented with plants and such. He'd gained a lot of confidence in the past year.

"Can we go now?" Harry asked impatiently.

"I didn't know you liked Slughorn that much Harry," Neville joked. He imagined that Harry enjoyed the class much more than he did when Snape was teaching.

Harry shrugged. "I've heard the food is good," he attempted to keep a carefree air.

"And I don't see why you guys want me to go," Hermione said. "I'd be more than fine reading in my room."

"Writing to Viktor's more like it," Harry said.

"So what if I talk to him?" Hermione said.

"Absolutely nothing," Neville assured her. "You guys are engaged."

"You should talk to each other regularly," Harry added.

"Sometimes I can't wait to be done with school," Hermione admitted. "Just so that we didn't have to deal with the distance."

"We'll all be glad when you two get married," Harry said. "It will mean that things are somewhat normal."

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Harry, when have things ever been normal for us?"

Harry thought about it for a moment. He remembered fighting Quirrell for the philosopher's stone in his first year. And things just sort of seemed to escalate from there.

"The answer you're looking for is never," Neville said.

Hermione grabbed a book and her cardigan before they headed down towards the dungeons. She wasn't expecting to have time to read, but she had a habit of carrying a book with her everywhere she went.

"Why do the potions teachers always have their offices in the dungeons?" Harry moaned as they walked.

Hermione and Neville stopped and looked at him like he was crazy. They shared a glance at each other and then focused their attentions back on Harry.

"You are taking N.E.W.T. potions Harry?" Neville asked.

"What of it?"

"What Neville means is that even he knows how much even a simple breeze can disrupt a potion. You need a well-ventilated space, but one that isn't going to mess with the conditions necessary to brew a potion," Hermione explained.

"We all know I can't make a decent potion," Neville added, "but I at least know where I go wrong."

"And apparently I have no idea where I'm going right," Harry mumbled.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the two of them. Sometimes it seemed like the boys couldn't be more different. And then there were times where they were remarkably similar. This was one of the first.

"If you two don't stop comparing yourselves I'm going to go talk to Viktor and avoid the dinner," she threatened.

It wasn't exactly an empty threat. There was nowhere else that Hermione would rather be. If she had her way either she'd be in Bulgaria, or Viktor would be in England. But she had to deal with the fact that she didn't control the universe.

"Oh no you don't," Harry said.

He grabbed one arm. Neville took hold of her other one.

"If I have to go you have to suffer through this thing with me," he said.

Hermione shook her head and braced herself for an evening of being uncomfortable. They were on time, and had no reason to be uncomfortable. No reason than none of them felt they had done anything worthwhile. Even if they had.

Conversation went well until Hermione was asked what her parents did. She stopped eating, unsure of how to answer the question.

"My parents are qualified as dentists," she said, not quite sure if she should trust Slughorn.

"And is that dangerous?" Slughorn asked.

"Not until someone bites you," Hermione said. "Even then it's usually not bad. My dad's only needed stitches once."

"And those are?" one of the Hufflepuffs asked. Hermione didn't know his name.

"Well, since muggles don't have magic to heal their wounds they have to let their bodies do it," Harry spoke up. "Stitches are where your skin is sewn in place until it heals."

"Muggles are hardcore," someone from the other side of the table whispered. No one saw who it was.

The conversation was interrupted by Ginny coming in. Her face was flushed and her eyes were slightly swollen. Wherever she had come from, it hadn't been happy.

When dinner was over, Harry stayed back to talk to Slughorn. Hermione and Neville caught up with Ginny.

"You alright?" Hermione asked.

"Not exactly," Ginny said. "Dean and I had another row."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said before wrapping the younger girl in a hug.

Ginny cried into her shoulder for a few moments. Eventually the sobs subsided. "Do you and Viktor ever fight?"

"Of course we do," Hermione said. "The distance helps us keep things in perspective. And we always want to work things out, but we are different people. And so sometimes we fight."

"Is it bad if that makes me feel better?" Ginny sniffed.

Hermione smiled. "I think it just makes you human."

Ginny smiled weakly and walked off without the other two of them. They stared at her blankly for a moment before continuing the walk up to Gryffindor tower.

"I can't recall you and Viktor ever fighting," Neville said.

"Are you saying it doesn't happen?"

Neville looked at her pointedly. "I know better than to disagree with you outright. I just can't remember it."

"Well, some things are more important than my pride," Hermione admitted. "Unfortunately I can't say the same about my relationship with Ron."

Neville barely managed to repress a shudder. "I'm just grateful that you two aren't ever going to date. You fight way more than would be healthy."

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe. But he's a teenage boy. I try to cut him some slack for that."

Neville gave her a look that said "what am I? Chopped liver?" He knew that Ron had a temper that often got the best of him. And Neville was more aware of the fact that being a teenager was hard than just about everyone. But neither he nor Harry were as temperamental as Ron was.

"Okay, so maybe Ron can be a little frustrating," Hermione conceded. "But he's still my friend."

"Fair enough."

* * *

A/N: So I don't know how I feel about this chapter. But after staring at it for way too long, I'm posting it. Also, Neville might not be in potions but he's really good at herbology. Of course Slughorn's going to know Professor Sprout's favourite student.


	66. Chapter 66

Neville attempted to do his charms homework. He wasn't suceeding, mostly because his attention was focused on Padma and Hermione discussing some obscure faucet of magical theory. They would have gladly invited him to join the conversation, but he had said that he needed to do his work on his own if he was to truly grasp the material.

Padma had smiled so brightly that it looked like she was glowing when Neville said that. Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that Padma would have hugged him had she not been around. Hermione was starting to think that perhaps Padma was developing feelings for her friend.

It had been clear for some time that Neville had been harbouring a crush on Padma. He hadn't said as much, but it was obvious to Hermione when he blushed when Padma was brought up. Harry and Ron hadn't noticed.

Harry was too preoccupied with whatever he was doing with Dumbledore. Hermione had tried time and time again to figure out what they were up to. She hadn't had much luck. Harry was surprisingly good at keeping secrets when he wanted to be.

What he wouldn't stop talking about was how he was convinced that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater. Hermione vehemently disagreed with him. Ron wasn't so sure. Wheich was why he was sitting on the couch across from Neville looking at the map for any sign of Malfoy.

"Find anything?" Neville asked.

Ron shook his head, attention still focused on the map. "Just Goyle sitting on the seventh floor for a few hours. He must be bored out of his mind."

"Because you've got it so much better," Neville said sarcastically.

"Hey," Ron protested. "I've got people to talk to. Goyle's been sitting there for at least as long as I have, but he's alone. And I doubt he's doing his homework."

"Who's alone?" Hermione asked.

While she hadn't been sneaky by anyone's standard, Ron's attention had been so focused on the seventh floor corridor that he hadn't noticed her. He jumped nearly a foot into the air, gasping for breath.

"Don't do that," he wheezed.

"Do what? Walk up behind you?" Hermione asked.

"No."

"Good," Padma said. "I don't think Hermione would be able to resist the temptation."

"I don't think anyone could resist that much of a temptation," Neville added.

"I'm not that jumpy," Ron said.

"We know." Padma sat down on the couch next to Neville. "You grew up with Fred and George after all."

"We're just teasing you," Hermione said. She perched herself on the armrest of the couch Ron was sitting on. It wasn't the most comfortable seat, but she was scared that if she sank into the plush seat she wouldn't get up later.

Harry stumbled into the common room. Lines of exhaustion were written all across his face. Whatever Dumbledore had him doing, it was eating all of his energy.

For a brief moment, Hermione was glad that it was a Friday night. Saturdays were typically days that most students slept in. Hermione herself usually savoured the quiet and peaceful atmosphere while everyone else was sleeping.

However, the next day was the first quidditch match. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, same as always. The whole school would be a cacophony of nervous energy. Harry likely wouldn't sleep well at all, regardless of how tired he might be.

"Find anything?" Harry asked Ron.

"Just Goyle."

Harry groaned and flopped down onto the couch next to Ron. He was tired, and he was cranky. Ron not finding anything wasn't helping his mood at all.

"Maybe you should go to bed," Hermione suggested.

Harry waved a hand at her. "I will. I just have to get the energy to get up the stairs."

"Well, I'm going to bed," Hermione said. "I'm going to count on you two to get him up to bed if he falls asleep right there," she told Neville and Ron.

"Yes ma'am," they chorused before Hermione got up from her seat.

"Guess I should go too," Padma said.

"Let me walk you out," Neville said.

Hermione smiled to herself as she watched them go before heading up the stairs to her dorm. She said goodnight to Viktor and slipped into a blissful sleep.

* * *

A/N: So I decided that Slughorn might be more interested if he hadn't practically decided on his club members before the quidditch game. (Not that I remembered what order they went in. Forgive me.) And yes, we're going to have the quidditch game be the next chapter. Hope everyone is okay with my updates. I'm cycling through the stories, and hoping that they're all fast enough and make enough sense.


	67. Chapter 67

One thing that Hermione had learnt over the last two years was that quidditch could make anyone nervous. Viktor wasn't the most susceptible to nerves, but one of the chasers on his team had nearly had a full flown panic attack when they were in Germany. Hermione suspected it had more to do with a break in routine that had occurred than anything, but the principle still applied.

Ron was nervous, to say the least. He looked like he was going to be sick. Hermione was reluctant to urge him to eat for fear that he would retch and it would be pointless. Harry, for whom quidditch was the least of his worries, was urging Ron to eat something.

"Come on Ron," he said. "Just one piece of toast."

Ron shook his head. "Can't."

"Then just drink some juice," Harry said.

He handed Ron a goblet of pumpkin juice before tucking a golden vial back into his pocket without so much as a thought to stealth.

"Tell me you didn't," Hermione groaned.

"Didn't what?"

"Don't drink that," Hermione said to Ron. She turned to Harry, hissing "you know that it's illegal to use a luck potion in a sporting event."

Ron took a look at the goblet in wonder and guzzled it down before Hermione could do anything. He then turned to his food with renewed vigor. He shoved food into his mouth as fast as humanly possible.

"Ron, slow down. That's gross," Hermione admonished.

"What's gross?" Neville asked. He had finally managed to finish his charms work and as such was later to breakfast than normal.

"Ron chewing whit his mouth open," Harry said.

Neville shuddered. On the rare occasions that Ron wasn't hungry, there were few souls courageous enough to encourage him to eat. Mostly because it resulted in exactly what Ron was doing at that moment.

Neville quickly averted his eyes away from Ron. He didn't need to see Ron eating, much less in the way he was. He couldn't blame him, with the match looming over everyone. But no one wanted to watch Ron eat.

"You and I are going to have a talk after the match," Hermione told Harry.

"What's going on?" Neville asked.

"Nothing of consequence," Harry said.

Neville gave him a pointed look. "If Hermione is telling you that she's going to 'talk' with you later, it's most certainly something of consequence."

"I've got to go get changed," Ron said. He hurried out of the great hall.

"Harry put liquid luck into Ron's pumpkin juice," Hermione explained once Ron was gone.

"You do know that's highly illegal, right?" Neville said.

"I know, but I don't think the placebo effect is," Harry said smugly.

"You didn't."

Harry fished the vial out of his pocket. The seal was still unbroken.

"Is that what the placebo effect is? Making someone think that something will happen?" Neville asked.

"Sort of. The placebo effect is typically used to describe what can happen with muggle medicines. Some people see effects because they think that because they took something it should happen," Hermione explained.

"So you made Ron think that you put liquid luck in his drink?"

"Just to give him some confidence," Harry said. "He's a good keeper; he just gets nervous."

"You're going to have to tell him," Hermione said.

"I will," Harry promised. "Just, neither one of you tell him until after the game is over."

"Like we've got much of a chance to do that," Hermione mumbled.

"We won't," Neville said, just as much for her as himself.

Harry flashed a grateful smile at them before heading off to the changing room. He nearly walked into no less than three people. One of whom was Padma, wearing one of her sister's Gryffindor sweaters.

"Sorry Pavarti," Harry said before heading out.

"What's gotten into Harry?" Padma asked.

She sat down next to Neville and picked up a piece of toast. She smeared orange marmalade over it before taking a huge bite.

"I'm thinking Ron's pre-match jitters," Neville said.

Padma swallowed, marmalade still sticking to her face. "Ron's pre-game nerves are affecting Harry?" she clarified.

Neville nodded, finding himself distracted by the jam still sticking to Padma's face. He couldn't find his voice.

Hermione smiled to herself and handed Padma a napkin. "You've got marmalade on your chin."

Padma took the napkin and wiped the mess from her face. She then turned to Neville. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Neville's cheeks turned red and he cast his attention downwards. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Hermione was doing her best not to laugh. Neither Padma nor Neville would have appreciated that. And the quidditch match would be so much less fun without her friends with her. Instead she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Padma asked. "There's still an hour before the match starts."

"I know. I was just going to go get a book."

They both smiled at her. "Only you would bring a book to a quidditch match where your own house was playing," Neville said.

Hermione knew that wasn't true. About half of the Ravenclaws were seen reading at all of the quidditch matches, regardless of who was playing.

"I just want to have one on hand," Hermione said.

Padma gave her a knowing smile. Padma had one stashed away on her person. She likely wouldn't pull it out during the match. But she had it. Padma never went anywhere without a book.

Hermione didn't like to bring her books into the great hall unless they were safely encased in her bag. Eating meals in the same room as Ron was just one of her concerns. She could also be bumped, jostled, or crashed into. All which could damage her books.

"Meet you in the stands in half an hour?" Hermione said.

That would give them enough time to finish eating. Hermione had eaten a bit before seeing Ron eat and subsequently losing her appetite. Padma hadn't seen Ron eat. Neither had Neville, but he had enough experience that Hermione knew better than to rush his eating.

"Sounds good," Padma said.

Hermione climbed back up to her dorm, running into more and more people as she went. It felt like the whole school was in the corridors. Not the oddest thing, but tricky when one was going against the flow of traffic. Eventually she made it.

Lavender and Pavarti were still in the dorm. Clothes were strewn all over their beds. Hermione had seen them fret over clothes before, but only when a boy was involved.

"It's hopeless," Lavender said as she flopped onto her bed.

Hermione managed to keep her chuckle low as she opened her trunk to look for a book. She hadn't decided what to take, but figured she would just grab the first one she found. She grabbed one and shrank it before she shoved it in her pocket.

"Of course it isn't, Pavarti reassured her best friend. "He's not going to be paying that much attention to you anyways. It is a quidditch game."

"She's right," Hermione said. "It doesn't matter who you're trying to impress. All the attention is going to be focused on the pitch."

"Actually, it should be on the quaffle," Lavender muttered to herself.

"Is this about Ron?"

Lavender blushed, giving her answer without so much as a word.

"She's fancied him for a while, but that that he was interested in you," Pavarti said.

Lavender smacked Pavarti with a pillow. "You aren't supposed to tell her that."

"You weren't going to, and she might be able to help," Pavarti retorted.

"Ron doesn't talk to me about girls," Hermione said. "I've got no clue who, if anyone, he fancies."

"Told you," Lavender said.

"It's not necessarily bad news," Pavarti said. "He might not have noticed anyone yet."

"We've been in the same classes for five years now. I sincerely doubt that he's ignored my existence for that long," Lavender said.

"This is Ron Weasley we're talking about," Hermione said. "The love of his life, at least for now, is food."

Both Lavender and Pavarti considered what she had said. If was true that Ron loved food. It he loved food more than certain people had yet to be determined, but wasn't entirely out of the question.

"Then how do I get his attention?" Lavender asked.

Hermione shrugged. "You'll have to figure that out by yourself. I'm afraid that I don't have a lot of experience with that."

Pavarti rolled her eyes. "You're engaged. You can't tell me that you have absolutely no clue how to ge a guy's attention."

Hermione flushed. If she and Viktor hadn't been soulmates, she wasn't sure how things would have played out. She probably wouldn't have given him much of a thought until the tournament. Even then she would likely be more annoyed than anything.

Hermione knew that Viktor couldn't control his fans. As much as she knew that he sometimes wanted to. But they had driven her crazy. And without the soulmate thing to make her bear it for his sake, she might have hated if Viktor had ever taken an interest in her.

Then again, she liked to think that in any version of reality, she and Viktor would have found each other. At least for a short while.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I'm marrying the first guy I dated. I don't know if that says much."

"It means you know how to keep a man," Lavender said. "You dated for a year and a half before you got engaged. Probably closer to two years. No one really knows."

"Padma might," Pavarti said.

"A year and a half is a pretty good estimate," Hermione said. "I don't think we were really dating much before the yule ball."

"So what should I wear?" Lavender steered the conversation back towards the matter at hand.

"Honestly, just wear Gryffindor colours. Then go talk to him," Hermione said. "He's never going to notice you if you don't talk to him."

Lavender looked down at her hands. "I don't know if I can do that."

"If I can talk to Viktor Krum, you can talk to Ron Weasley. He's far less scary," Hermione said.

"Only if you promise to come save me if I screw up horribly."

Hermione nodded. "Sounds fair. But I have to go meet Neville and Padma. I'm going to be late."

She rushed out of Gryffindor tower and almost ran to the pitch. It was much faster going with the flow of everyone else.

"Hey guys," she huffed once there.

"What took you so long?" Padma asked.

"Your sister and Lavender."

"What are they up to today?" Neville asked.

Hermione smiled. "Lavender's got a bit of a crush on Ron."

"Might be good for him," Neville mused. "He could at least have an excuse to get out of Harry's obsession with Malfoy."

"I second that," Padma said.

They were still talking when the match started. It was only when the Slytherins started singing that they turned their attention to the game. They felt bad for Ron, having to hear the derogatory song about his skills as a keeper.

But, the Slytherins soon quieted when Ron blocked shot after shot. Hermione suspected that it was the placebo effect on Ron, but she wasn't about to complain. She was actually proud of Ron. And even more proud that it was all him, no matter what he thought.

Eventually Harry caught the snitch. Gryffindor won. There was sure to be a big party. Hopefully Hermione's dorm would be empty. If not, she was going to visit Ravenclaw so she could have a somewhat quiet evening.

* * *

A/N: Hopefully the fact that this is a longer chapter makes up for how behind I've gotten. Sorry.


	68. Chapter 68

Potions lessons with Slughorn went a thousand times smoother than they ever had with Snape. Harry thought it had quite a bit to do with Slughorn's comparatively lax teaching style. Hermione argued that it had more to do with the fact that most students had dropped the course once it was no longer required.

Neville, he wasn't sure who was right. On the one hand, he and most of the students who had had trouble with potions had elected not to take the class. That left room for less catastrophic accidents where people wound up in the hospital wing.

To further support that argument, Neville was doing fine in defense against the dark arts. If Professor Snape hadn't managed to cause a decline in Neville Longbottom's grades, it might just be that potions was a hard subject to master.

On the other hand, Neville couldn't help but remember how Viktor had used soup to soothe his fears concerning potions. Viktor wasn't a teacher, but Neville had no doubt that he would be a good one if he so chose.

"What's the verdict?" Padma asked Harry and Hermione as they both worked on a potions essay.

"We've agreed to disagree," Harry said.

"It's probably a mixture of both," Ron said, "but they're both being stubborn."

"Are they ever not?" Neville asked.

"Dunno," Ron shrugged. "I assume that Hermione's capable of compromise. She is getting married after all."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but didn't stop writing. Now that Harry no longer had a teacher who he despised for potions, and for whom the feeling was reciprocated, had shown an unprecedented skill in potions. She was working twice as hard to stay ahead of him.

It didn't help any that Slughorn obviously played favourites. And his favourites were those with fame and power. Hermione, for all her connections and academic prowess, could never hope to match the fame of Harry Potter. He was the boy who lived after all.

"So Hermione, are you going to be around at all this weekend?" Neville asked.

It was a Hogsmeade weekend, which meant that Viktor might be around. He tried to show up as much as he possibly could. He had always done so, but everyone else noticed that fewer of his games and practices seemed to fall on Hogsmeade weekends.

It wasn't coincidence. Viktor had taken the liberty of writing to Professor Dumbledore and asked for the Hogsmeade schedule. While he couldn't necessarily change the games on a whim, he did have some sway if he asked as ahead as he had. And he had managed to get his schedule arraigned in such a way that he could spend as much time with Hermione as possible.

Hermione appreciated it. She knew that even though they could technically "talk" just about anywhere and anytime it was still important that they spend time together. And it was nice to spend time in person, when they didn't have to talk.

She certainly didn't mind the snogging that came with it either. She rather enjoyed that part. And she was certain that Viktor had absolutely no qualms about her kissing him.

"I doubt it," Hermione said. "I've got a date."

All four of her friends shared a smile. Hermione didn't notice, still scribbling out her essay. She was determined to finish before Friday hit. Even if it wasn't due until next Wednesday she didn't want it looming over her. She wouldn't enjoy her weekend much that way.

"Sounds fun," Padma said. "Hey Neville, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"I thought that was the plan," he said confused.

"She's asking you on a date," Hermione said.

"Oh." Neville blushed profusely, doing an excellent impression of a tomato. "I'd like that."

"Finally," Harry sighed.

"What do you mean by that?" Padma asked.

"I mean that Neville's been crushing on you since the Yule ball. I'm surprised he hasn't asked you out earlier."

"Which would have been like me asking Hermione out. Even if we both liked each other, which we didn't," Ron said, "it would have been horribly awkward."

"I don't know," Hermione said. "I've been hoping you two would go out. But I know better than to get involved in someone else's relationship."

Harry smiled and shook his head. He didn't need to get in the middle of that discussion.

"Just glad someone said something. It would be sad if you missed out on something because you were too scared to say anything," Ron said.

"Speaking of which, what do you think of Lavender?" Hermione asked.

* * *

A/N: I know this is a short chapter. But the next one should be longer. We'll get to see Neville and Padma go on a date. (I think that's a big fat yes. Let me know what you think.) And there will be some Viktor. Yay.


	69. Chapter 69

Hermione found herself at breakfast that Saturday, hating how early she was up. She hadn't managed to sleep well the night before. She had worked herself up. And she'd finally given up on resting much around five that morning.

She stirred her porridge, carefully mixing in brown sugar. She wasn't sure that she liked it as much as some of the other options, but it was the only thing she could stir other than her tea. And she liked her tea enough that she'd already finished her cup.

She hadn't yet decided if she wanted another. Mostly she was just watching her porridge as she stirred, watching the brown sugar create streaks as it mixed in. Eventually she took a bite. It was sweeter than she normally liked, but not bad.

She wasn't going to head down to Hogsmeade until the much more reasonable hour of half past eight. Which left her about two hours to kill. She sighed and stirred her porridge again before taking another bite. It was going to be a long morning.

It took her about half an hour to finish her porridge and pour herself another cup of tea. Half an hour, but she still had an hour and a half before she felt she could head off. Viktor likely wouldn't even be up yet, for all that Bulgaria was two hours ahead.

She wished that she had brought a more interesting book than the one in her bag. It was a book about giant wars in the middle east. Apparently the biblical story of David and Goliath was a bit more magical than anyone in the muggle world had admitted. But it couldn't hold her attention.

Around quarter past seven, Malfoy wandered into the great hall. He looked exhausted. Dark shadows were visible under his eyes even across the great hall. His hair fell in his face. He must have been up all night.

Hermione pulled her book out of her bag, and opened it. It would be better to stare at it and read the same sentence a few times than to be staring at Malfoy. He wasn't worth the time and effort that Harry and Ron put into watching him.

She had read two sentences, about three times each, and finished her cup of tea when Padma came in.

"Long night?" she asked.

Hermione closed the book and sighed. "I'm not nervous. I just couldn't sleep."

"Tell me about it," Padma said. "I still can't believe I'm going on a date with Neville Longbottom. Granted, I asked him. But still."

Hermione shook her head, a small smile creeping up onto her face. She wouldn't have thought that Padma would have been nervous. To her at least, it was obvious that Neville liked Padma. Padma had nothing to be worried about.

"You're not worried, are you?" she asked.

"That Neville likes me, no. I've suspected as much for a bit. But I'm nervous that I won't act the way that he wants to. And then, no matter how he feels about me, he won't want to be with me."

Hermione reached out and squeezed Padma's hand. "He's bound to be nervous himself. He's a great guy, but you asked him out. While your feelings on the subject might not be so clouded, he has a lot of insecurities about himself."

It was true. Ever since before first year, Neville had been timid and soft spoken. But that didn't make him any less friendly. And if he thought you were worth sticking up for, it was sometimes scary to watch him.

"Thanks," Padma said.

"No problem." Hermione had another cup of tea, biding her time. Eventually she felt comfortable enough leaving the castle and heading down to Hogsmeade.

She waited patiently for the first carriage. She was anxious to see Viktor, and knew that he would want to see her. Neither of them was thrilled with the long-distance relationship, but they were making it work. And weekends like that were the best part of the whole situation.

She tapped a pen against her left hand all through the carriage ride. She didn't even notice that she was doing it. She just tucked it behind her ear when she arrived, more out of habit than anything else.

She practically ran out of the carriage and into Viktor's arms.

"Looks like you vere anxious to see me," he said pressing a kiss to her lips.

"What makes you say that?"

He held up his hand, covered in lots of tiny blue dots. Hermione hadn't thought about that. She pulled out her wand and vanished the ink.

"Oops."

Viktor kissed her. "Nothing to vorry about. I vas vanting to see you too."

Hermione leaned into him. His embrace felt like coming home. And she didn't want to spend any more time than she had to anywhere without him.

* * *

Padma read her book, fascinated by the implications the arithmancer had written. She wasn't sure that you could use arithmancy to predict future outcomes, but there were statistics that did similar things in the muggle world. Perhaps it wasn't that farfetched of an idea.

"Good morning," Neville said as he sat down across from her.

"Morning," Padma said. "I wasn't expecting you for," she looked at her watch "well now. Guess I got a little caught up in my book."

"It's alright. I know you do that. So does Hermione. You get used to it after a while."

"Yeah, but today is about you and me spending time together. I shouldn't make you feel like you have to fight for my attention," Padma almost whispered.

"Hey," Neville took her hand, "why don't you tell me about your book. Then we'll take a carriage to the village and see what we want to do."

Padma nodded and launched into a detailed explanation of arithmancy applications and all the theoretical purposes that should be tested out. She also tried to describe the narrative style of the book and convince Neville that he should read it when she was done.

She didn't quite manage that last bit. Neville simply shook his head and said that he would rather read about plants than numbers. Padma found it silly to not want to know everything, but Neville was smart and dedicate. And she would tell him everything she learnt anyways.

She talked until Neville was done eating, and then they both talked on the way down to Hogsmeade. The conversation slowly shifted from the applications of arithmancy to the principles of runes. And what that meant for a certain friend of theirs.

"I mean, they're practically married already," Neville argued.

"As true as that might be," Padma said, "you know that Hermione is going to want something a little more traditional than just runes. Even if in the eyes of the ministry they're as good as married already."

"I don't think it's just the ministry's eyes," Neville said.

"I don't think her parents would be so comfortable with her relationship with him if they thought they were already as good as married," Padma countered.

"His parents are probably more open to that idea than hers are," Neville said.

Neville was talking about the way that purebloods often had their children marry early. The fact that Hermione was still in school wouldn't have mattered much to them. And Hermione was already seventeen, which was of age in the magical world.

"Either way, they are engaged now. And whatever they're doing is working for them. So, I guess we shouldn't worry about them."

"You did ask me on a date," Neville agreed. "We probably shouldn't spend the whole time talking about Viktor and Hermione."

They changed the subject to the idea that water that fell on the night of a full moon being better for certain plants than regular water.

"Aconite, being the main plant in the wolfsbane potion, shouldn't be watered with moon water," Neville said. "It decreases the potency of the potion, agitating the wolf."

"But that can be counteracted if the plant is strong enough."

"And aconite is a strong plant already. Besides, since wolfsbane potion doesn't stop the transformation it isn't the best idea to do anything that could stir up the wolf."

"I guess you're right," Padma said. "I don't like it."

Neville had to suppress a snicker. "You just don't like being wrong."

Padma rolled her eyes and gently elbowed Neville. He was right, she hated being wrong. But he didn't need to say it.

* * *

A/N: So I wanted to focus on some other characters. I don't know how great it is, but I'm sick of staring at the computer screen for this. Hope you guys like it.


	70. Chapter 70

Hermione and Viktor sat at the booth in The Three Broomsticks. They were enjoying the quiet before they were joined by Hermione's friends. Neville and Padma would be joining them sometime in the afternoon. And Harry and Ron would invariable show up once Ron managed to convince Harry that Malfoy wasn't worth tailing anymore.

Hermione shook that thought from her mind. She wasn't responsible for keeping Harry from doing something he might regret later. That was Ron's job for the day. She could do it tomorrow.

"Vhat is vorrying you?" Viktor asked.

Hermione smiled weakly. "Just Harry."

"I think he vill always vorry you."

Hermione knew that Viktor was right. She would always worry about Harry, for as long as she was alive. He had a bad habit of getting in the middle of things, even if it wasn't always his fault. Especially if it wasn't his fault.

She was just glad that Ron cared enough about Harry to see to it that he didn't do something horribly irresponsible. And Sirius. Maybe Hermione should write to him about Harry.

She squeezed Viktor's hand. She would have plenty of time to write Sirius later. Right then, she had time to spend with her fiancé, and she was going to do just that. Not spend all her time with him thinking about other things.

They talked until Malfoy walked past their booth. He looked paler than normal. His hair was even disheveled which was odd for him. He didn't even give them so much as a glance.

Harry slid into the booth across from the couple. He was joined by Ron, who sat down much slower than Harry.

"Where do you get that kind of energy from?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "I guess running away from Dudley's friends has its perks."

Hermione filed that statement away for her letter to Sirius. She was pretty sure that Dudley was Harry's cousin. And what he had just said meant that him staying at the Dursley's house was not a good idea.

"We meeting up already?" Neville asked.

"Not exactly," Ron said. "Malfoy walked in. And Harry's been tailing him all day. It's really tiring."

"I would have thought that with all the quidditch training you two do, you'd be able to keep up with him," Padma said.

"Harry is a seeker," Viktor said. "He chases the snitch. Must be able to go faster than the other seeker. But Ron could probably fly for longer, just not as fast."

"The ones who train the hardest are the chasers," Hermione added.

"Of course you would know that," Ron said. "Just how many practices have you been to?"

Hermione looked up at the ceiling, not even vaguely trying to recall. "Far too many to count. Besides, I was a little preoccupied with other things."

She looked at Viktor, a light blush coating her cheeks. She didn't even have to say anything. All her friends knew that she was besotted. And aside from a little light teasing, that would have happened no matter who she was dating, they didn't mind.

"So any clue what Malfoy's been up to?" Neville asked.

Harry shook his head. "Followed him the entire day, under the cloak of course. Not a thing. He seems to be brooding for no reason."

"His father was thrown in jail over the summer when the Death Eaters tried to steal something from the ministry," Padma said. "He has a right to be upset."

"And if You-Know-Who is upset, then who knows what's happened. Draco must be scared," Neville added.

"Can we talk about something else?" Ron asked. "I don't want to hear about Draco Malfoy until next week."

He knew that Harry was likely to rant about Malfoy within the next hour. They all knew that. Harry was obsessed. And no one could figure out why. But Harry was like a dog with a bone and there was nothing anyone could do to get him to drop it.

"How about the charms assignment?" Padma asked. Everyone was taking charms.

Harry groaned. "I thought we weren't supposed to worry about homework while we were at Hogsmeade."

Ron snorted a laugh. "We're friends with Padma Patil and Hermione Granger. If you think that you're ever going to get away with ignoring your homework you must be crazy."

"You're supposed to be on my side," Harry said. "You haven't done the charms work either."

"No. But if we let them talk long enough I might get enough ideas to be able to do it quickly once we get back to the castle."

"Or you could do what I do and do it before we come," Neville said. "Padma and Hermione would be more than happy to help you get it done early."

"Much better than if you leave it to the last minute," Padma said.

Hermione chuckled softly. She had spent a lot of time with Harry and Ron. If there was one thing that she had learnt over the years, it was that they would do just about anything to get out of doing their homework. Often that meant putting it off until the last possible minute.

She felt Viktor squeeze her leg. He knew how much it irritated her when they asked for help mostly just because they had put stuff off for too long. He might not have to deal with papers and assignments, but he would listen to her talk for hours about anything. And he had listened to hours of her grumbling about boys who put off doing their homework.

"Oh no," Ron said.

"What?" Hermione turned around to see Ginny sitting next to Dean Thomas.

"She's not allowed to do that," Ron said. He moved to stand up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Padma said.

"They're not even snogging," Neville said.

"They'd better not be," Ron said.

"Sit down," Hermione said. "How would you feel if I snogged Viktor?"

"Ew." Harry scrunched up his face. "You can't do that. You're like parents."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"He means that it's one thing to know about, but another thing to see," Padma said. "We all know you and Viktor have kissed, but we don't like to think about it. Although, I think it's mostly because Harry's not dating anyone."

Katie Bell walked past them, a confused Leanne following her closely.

"Okay, is it just me or does something feel off about Katie?" Neville asked.

"It's not just you," Harry said.

They all hurried out of the pub to find Katie and Leanne arguing over a package. It tore open, and something sparkly brushed Katie's uncovered wrist before falling to the ground. She screamed in pain, and started floating.

"Malfoy," Harry muttered under his breath.

* * *

A/N: I finally wrote another chapter. Yay! Sorry for taking so long. Life has been hectic. I have a job interview in the morning. If I get it, things might be a little less crazy. But I hope you guys like this.


	71. Chapter 71

Hermione wrote what felt like a plethora of letters in the week after the accident involving Katie. It didn't feel much like an accident to anyone, but there wasn't a better way to phrase it. No one wanted to use the word attack when there wasn't any definitive proof that it was an attack.

She'd written to Sirius asking him to talk to Harry. He'd written back to both her and Harry, but not much had changed. Harry was still obsessing over Malfoy.

She'd written to her parents, assuring them that she was fine. She hadn't accepted any packages from anyone she didn't trust, much less someone she didn't no. And she didn't want to transfer to Durmstrang. She didn't know anyone currently going to school there.

There were a few advantages to going to Durmstrang. One was that it was safer, even if she was a muggleborn. There was also the fact that she would be able to see Viktor much more often since it was closer. But she wasn't sure she could understand the language. Bulgarian was one thing but most of the classes were in Russian.

She had also written to the ministry to give her account of what had happened. She wasn't sure it would do much, but she had tried. Which was more than could be said of her classmates.

"Frustrated?" Neville asked.

"Not exactly," Hermione said. "More just tired. I've got so much work to do. And I'm not sure exactly what to do about Harry. He's going to give me a heart attack one of these days."

Neville snorted. "You don't eat nearly enough greasy food for that to happen anytime soon."

"Maybe not. But I sure stress out enough for it to be possible. And Harry's not exactly going to lighten up on his end anytime soon," Hermione argued.

"Probably not. I don't think there's anything, short of you-know-who dying, that could get Harry to relax," Neville said.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't care if Harry relaxes. I just want to."

"Fair enough."

"What's fair enough?" Padma asked as she entered the Gryffindor common room.

"Hermione wants to relax," Neville said.

"Has she stopped worrying about Harry yet?"

"No," both Neville and Hermione said in unison.

Padma sighed. "I guess the only way for you to relax now is to find Viktor."

"I can't," Hermione said sadly. "He's got a game today and I don't think it's over yet. He said he'd tell me when it's over, but no one can predict that."

Neville and Padma shared a look. Since they had started dating they'd been more in sync. Not to the level of Viktor and Hermione. They doubted anyone could ever get to that unless they were soulmates. But they could read each other possibly better than Harry and Ron. But with as oblivious as the two boys were, that wasn't exactly surprising.

"I'm pretty sure it will be over before you expect," Neville said.

"When did it start?" Padma asked. She was trying to be logical.

"An hour ago," Hermione said. "I just checked. Nothing so far. I'm trying not to check for a message every five minutes."

Padma couldn't imagine what Hermione was feeling. She knew that if Hermione was watching Viktor it was grand. She adored that. But being in a position where she couldn't get ahold of him if she needed to was nerve wracking for her.

Padma had only been dating Neville for a few weeks. But she couldn't imagine him being off in another country doing something where he could be seriously injured. It sent chills down her spine just to think of it.

"He'll be fine," she said. "He's done this for years. Since before you even knew who he was."

"I know that," Hermione said. "I just don't like him playing when I'm not there. I know he's not gotten into any trouble. But I don't like the idea that something could happen when I'm not there."

"You know he'll talk to you the second that he can," Neville said. "And I bet in half an hour, there will be a message in fresh ink on your arm."

"Hermione got ink on her again?" Lavender asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Hermione said. "Just notes for homework."

"If this is about you and Viktor Krum being soulmates, we've known for a while," Pavarti said. "Since detention with Umbridge."

"I knew someone would figure it out," Hermione said.

Padma shrugged. "After what we all saw, I'm sort of surprised that more people didn't figure it out. It's certainly not a secret in Ravenclaw, but you knew that."

Hermione nodded. No one had asked her about it. But Ravenclaws were probably the worst gossips in the entire school. Mostly just because information was the main commodity in their tower. If you told a Ravenclaw something in confidence, there was a 50/50 chance that the entire school would know by the following week.

Padma had a Gryffindor twin who would kill her if anything pertaining to her personal life slipped out. And Hermione wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for nothing. She wasn't going to divulge information without asking first. But there were observant students in each of the houses.

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag," Hermione mumbled. "Yeah. I'm hoping to talk to Viktor once he finishes his game."

Lavender and Pavarti gave small squeals of delight.

"It's so exciting," Pavarti said.

"It's like something out of a romance novel," Lavender added.

They scurried up the stairs, laughter and excitement ringing down until the door to their dorm shut.

"Are they always like that?" Padma asked.

"Pavarti's your twin," Neville said.

"And? I might be her twin, but we spend a lot of time apart. She never acts like that at home."

Hermione used the distraction to check her arm.

 _I caught it,_ was written on her arm.

"Got to go," Hermione said. She grabbed a pen and headed to her dorm where she could at least close the curtains around her bed.


	72. Chapter 72

"So Granger," Cormac said, "I hear that Slughorn's throwing a small soiree this week. Care to go as my plus one?"

Hermione sighed. She had worn her ring since she had gotten it. She'd been in several news articles because of it. But they were mostly Bulgarian papers. News hadn't really gotten back to England about her engagement. For which she was mostly grateful.

But there were times that she wished some people weren't as oblivious. Mostly Cormac.

"Can't," she said.

"Of course you can," Cormac insisted. "I'll pick you up in the common room and then we'll stroll down to the dungeons together."

Hermione shook her head. "I can't. I don't think Viktor would like it if I went with you. Especially since he's already my plus one."

"You're still together?" Cormac asked.

"Well, I wouldn't spend all summer, or most of it anyways, in Bulgaria if we weren't. And I certainly wouldn't be trying to figure out how I'm going to split my time after graduation if he weren't a factor."

And she wasn't sure exactly how things were going to work out. She was sure there was going to be a huge conflict. And she knew that she was going to wind up helping Harry. He needed her for that. He wouldn't survive on his own.

It was after that that was the tricky part. She loved England. It had always been her home. But since she had found Viktor, she only wanted to be with him. She would gladly go live on Mars if it meant that she got to be with Viktor all the time.

But she also wanted to be around her friends. It would be nice to be able to visit Harry, Ron, Neville and Padma at times. Magic would make that so much easier, but she knew that she would still have to account for time zones and such.

"You planning on moving?" Cormac asked.

"If only to get away from you," Hermione said.

She stormed away from him, heading to the library. It was always quiet in there. She could sit and think, and Madame Pince kept most of the students out. It was a small haven in a school that was otherwise bustling with life.

She pulled a random book off a shelf and immersed herself in it. She finished the book and looked up to find Harry and Ron staring at her.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"About eight. You missed supper," Ron said.

"We're taking you to the kitchen," Harry added.

"I'm perfectly capable of going on my own," Hermione said.

Harry and Ron each put an arm around her and herded her out of the library.

"We know," they chorused.

Under their supervision, she ate a bowl of stew, a roll, and a treacle tart. They wouldn't let her leave any of it untouched. And once she started eating, she realized that she was much hungrier than she had originally thought.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"We heard that McLaggen had something to do with it. But we don't know much more than that," Ron said.

"He's just an insensitive lout who thinks he's the most attractive man in the world," Hermione said. "And he assumed that I'd go to Slughorn's party with him. As if I would even if I weren't engaged."

"I don't think that everyone knows that," Harry said. "You wear your ring on the opposite hand for English traditions."

"And?"

"And most people won't look up Bulgarian wedding and engagement traditions."

Hermione sighed. "I know. And it's not like I need the whole school to know. I'd rather they didn't. But I just wish I had a way of telling all the stupid guys to back off. I'm dating someone."

"It was easier when he was here," Ron said. "He was just always around."

"Scared most of the guys off," Harry said. "But he was always followed by a gaggle of giggling girls."

"Don't remind me," Hermione groaned. "He's always followed by fangirls. At least in Bulgaria they keep their distance."

"Maybe people will be a little more respectful after the wedding," Ron suggested.

"That's over two and a half years away," Hermione reminded him.

"So, you're magic. You guys are probably going to live to be close to two hundred years old. I bet that in fifty years you're going to laugh at how stupid some of those girls were," Ron said.

"Maybe."

"If you don't, Viktor and I will," Harry said. "I feel his pain."

"Harry, you're just the savior of the wizarding world," Ron said. "You aren't an international quidditch star."

"Maybe not yet."

Hermione leaned over the desk. "So who are you taking?" she asked Harry.

"I'm not sure." Harry shrugged and then turned back to his essay. They were getting better but it was still his first draft and he was struggling.

"You're going to have to ask someone. I've heard Romilda Vane talking about you. She's thinking about slipping you a love potion."

"Really?"

Hermione shook her head. "Don't worry. She's only interested because she thinks you're the chosen one."

"But Hermione," Harry protested, "I am the chosen one. This is going to get ridiculous."

"Probably. You'd better ask someone to the party, and fast. Or things are going to get ugly."

"Fine. What do you think about Luna?" Harry asked.

"I think she's nuts, but not in a bad way," Hermione said. "She'd probably love to go. And it would be much less awkward than bringing Ron."

"He'd just be mad that he wasn't invited and then think I was trying to spare his feelings. And then he'd be frustrated because nothing happens at Slughorn's parties anyways. And I'm trying to get something from Slughorn, so I'd be doing that instead of having fun with Ron." Harry rambled on about the troubles he was having.

"I'll be sure to entertain Luna while you butter up Slughorn," Hermione said. "And I'll make sure that she knows Neville and Padma are going to be there too."


	73. Chapter 73

Hermione found that Slughorn's Christmas party was more enjoyable than the other gatherings of his she had been to. But part of that was almost certainly the company. She always felt more relaxed and much happier when she was around Viktor.

They talked softly in Bulgarian for most of the time. Only really switching back to English when a question was posed or when Neville was around with Padma. Neither of them spoke Bulgarian. At least not to the point where they could hold a conversation.

That was one of the things about having a best friend that was a Ravenclaw. They were not slow to take on the challenge of trying to learn something new. Even if it was a language that would likely take them at least the rest of the year to even be conversational in.

Hermione didn't mine. It was easy enough to keep up the written Bulgarian. But she'd taken to reading Viktor's letters aloud, in her bed with her curtains spelled so that no one could hear her, just so she could keep up practice.

And then there was Harry. He'd shown up late, with none other than Luna Lovegood. Hermione couldn't believe her eyes when they walked in.

Not that she had anything against the younger girl. Quite the opposite. Hermione liked Luna. In a strange sort of way. And she was somewhat protective of the girl. Especially after finding out that she'd been picked on by her own house. Hermione could empathize with that.

She just hadn't expected Harry to like Luna in any way. She was different. And she supposed that it was good for Harry to try something different. But she really hadn't expected him to light up the way that he did around Luna.

" _What do you think?"_ she asked Viktor.

" _Of Luna?"_

Hermione nodded.

" _She's interesting. I think she might be a seer."_

Hermione snapped her head to look at her fiancé. _"You can't be serious."_

" _Of course I am. I wouldn't joke about something like that."_

Hermione chewed on her lower lip absentmindedly as she thought. True seers, unlike Trelawny, were absurdly rare. And were often thought of as crazy. Perhaps only a little eccentric if they were very good. But even before the gift manifested fully, they could see things others couldn't.

It fit. It explained why some of the other Ravenclaws were intimidated and scared by her. It also explained the creatures. Hermione was suddenly sure they were real. But, like thestrals, she couldn't see them.

" _You'd better be right,"_ she breathed. She didn't want to get her hopes about something like that. If Viktor was right, once Luna found out the truth her world would stabilize a little.

"Oh, you must be the Bulgarian seeker, Krum was it?" Slughorn said. "How'd you wind up at this little soiree?"

"I invited him," Hermione said.

She was suddenly grateful for all the practice she'd had dealing with people over in Bulgaria. They were generally more calm and collected than the crazy quidditch fans she'd encountered in the UK. But she wasn't thrilled with the way they still seemed to fawn over Viktor.

It had given her so much practice at keeping her voice even and pleasant even when she wasn't feeling like she wanted to. And she could hide her surprise easily.

Slughorn looked her over more appraisingly. "Right, Granger. I do think I recall seeing something about you dating while Krum was competing in the tournament two years ago. Glad you two are still friends."

Hermione shook her head into her cup of punch. She wasn't sure what to say.

"They never stopped dating," Neville said.

"You must have read about him barging into the detention session with Umbridge?" Padma added.

"I may have heard something," Slughorn said.

Hermione schooled her features into a cool expression. She didn't want to give away the fact that she wasn't thrilled with her teacher. She was at his party with a date. And she was wearing a ring Viktor had given her.

She knew that her engagement had been plastered all over the Bulgarian newspapers. If Slughorn cared at all about quidditch, which he presumably did, he would have had some inkling that she and Viktor were dating.

For what was most certainly not the first time, and likely wouldn't be the last, she felt a pang of envy. Harry got tons of attention from Slughorn. And he wasn't even good at potions. He was just famous. And he didn't even want it.

And it wasn't that Hermione wanted to be famous. She would be content if no one bothered her. But she doubted that would ever happen. Viktor was famous. Harry was famous. She was famous by proximity. And she was considered one of the brightest witches of her age.

But she wished that someone would pay attention to her, and not the wizards that she associated with. She was competent. She was bright. She had potential. And she was more than her friends and future husband.

Slughorn shook his head sadly. "You would have made a great Slytherin Granger," he said softly.

He walked away and Hermione took a deep breath. She didn't trust herself to speak. Not for a few minutes at least.

"You'll be fine," Viktor assured her.

She nodded mutely. She knew he was right. She was going to be fine. She just needed to get out of the funk that she was in.

She didn't get much time to stew in her thoughts. Thankfully. There was a commotion behind them. Filch was pulling Malfoy into the room.

"What's he doing here?" Neville groaned.

"You know Malfoy," Padma said. "He's been pampered his whole life. If it weren't for the fact that his father was in jail, he'd have been invited."

Hermione nodded. "And he's got this thing with Harry. And knowing Harry, he's probably going to try and stalk Malfoy."

They all sighed. It was the most likely outcome after all. And they all knew it. Even Viktor, who was around the least, knew it.

Of course, it wasn't exactly like it was one sided. Both of them were obsessed with each other. If it wasn't because of the animosity between them, pretty much everyone would have thought they were interested in each other.

There was a clattering in the entryway, and Luna stood there. She held Harry's arm lightly in her hand. And he didn't move. He stood frozen.

"Well, that's an interesting development." Padma's voice was soft.

"What do you know?" Neville asked in a whisper.

"The pull Luna has on Harry. No one else can get him to stop like that," Hermione said. Her voice was just louder than Neville's. "If Ron or I tried he'd just jerk his arm away and continue on. Anyone else would get a rougher handling."

"I suppose," Neville said. "But it's not Harry anyone should be worried about."

"Sorry," Hermione muttered.

She was acutely aware of the fact that Neville was recalling the time she'd used a full body bind on him in first year. And that wasn't the scariest thing she'd ever done. But it was one of the few times she'd used magic against one of her friends.

"I'm just glad that you're on my side," Neville said.

The rest of the party was rather uneventful. Malfoy was escorted back to his dorm by a fairly disgruntled Professor Snape. He returned to the party with a deeper scowl than normal.

His attitude couldn't ruin the night. Professor Snape was almost always in a bad mood. It was just something that all his students had learnt to deal with at one point or another. And there were enough good moments that no one felt down for long.

And Snape's imposing presence was actually a bit of a blessing when Cormac started flirting. It was exceedingly obnoxious. Especially since Hermione had turned him down earlier.

"Mr. McLaggen," Snape drawled. "I would step away from the lady."

"Shouldn't she be the one to tell me that?"

"You aren't paying attention. She's here with her fiancé. She doesn't want you to flirt with her," Snape nearly snarled.

"Fiancé? Since when?"

Both Padma and Hermione had to restrain themselves from smashing their hands against their faces. It might not be obvious to the most casual observer at Hogwarts. But Cormac was digging himself into a hole that no one could escape.

"They've been together since year four," Neville said. "I doubt it was going to end any other way."

Cormac stalked off, Snape trailing behind him. There was bound to be a lecture of some sort. And they were all glad that it wasn't them that Snape was frustrated with at that moment.

The rest of the night went by quickly with food and dancing. There were a few stolen kisses, at least between Viktor and Hermione. But all too soon it was time to head back to their dorms.

Both Harry and Neville walked off with their dates toward Ravenclaw tower. That left Hermione and Viktor to stroll down the corridors to Gryffindor tower alone. They took their time, neither wanting the night to end just yet.

Far too soon they reached the portrait of the fat lady. Hermione brushed an errant curl behind her ear.

"Thank you," she said.

"For vhat?" Viktor asked.

"For being here. For making time for me. For always being willing to listen when I need you, even if you are at quidditch practice."

"For you, I vould fight vizards vho are scarier than you-know-who," Viktor swore. "I vould fight the devil himself for you."

Hermione blushed and looked up at him. "I know you would. But I'd rather you were safe."

Viktor kissed her softly. "I know. But you are most precious. I vould do anything for you."

"Just keep safe."

* * *

A/N: So this chapter was a lot of fun to write. I'm not sure how great it is. But hopefully you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am working on making my chapters longer as well, so that may mean there might be a little longer of a wait. But it's here. That's good news.

Also, I'm busy with life at the moment. And it's going to get busier. I'm hoping that come June things will slow down a bit. But who knows. For now I'm just going to try to keep on top of it all. And update when I can.


	74. Chapter 74

Hermione met her parents in Bulgaria, arriving via portkey directly there. Since Harry and Ron had decided to stay at Hogwarts to watch Malfoy, she felt no obligation to go back to Grimmauld place. And no one was going to blame her for spending more of the holidays with her family.

She'd hugged each of them, sitting down to talk and eat before Viktor got home from training. Bulgaria might have been two hours ahead, but Hermione had left in the morning. He would be at practice until early afternoon.

"How's Hogwarts?" her mother asked.

"It can't be worse than last year," her father added.

"It's not," Hermione said, stirring her food around her plate absentmindedly. "It really isn't. But Harry… He's not exactly himself."

"What do you mean?" John Granger asked.

Hermione sighed. "He didn't even leave Hogwarts for Christmas. He's staying to watch Malfoy."

"I was under the impression that he would want to stay with his godfather," Helena said.

"I was hoping for that," Hermione confessed. "Sirius might have been able to knock some sense into him. Not much. Sirius has never been great at sense. But enough that Harry might have been able to spent the second semester not obsessing."

"I'm not sure that would change much," Helena said.

"There must be someone who can get him to see sense," John added.

"I think only Luna might be able to get through to him," Hermione bemoaned. "And that's a huge maybe."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. A somber air hung over them. No one was sure how to break it.

"Well, this certainly von't do," Mrs. Krum said. "Not when Viktor vill be home soon."

"I'll certainly be glad when he does," Hermione said. "I need a hug."

Helena held a hand up over her mouth in mock indignation. "Are we not good enough for you?"

"You know what I mean," Hermione said. She loved her parents. But she really wanted a hug from the one person who could always manage to make her smile. And could bring her into a calm from any emotion.

"Know vhat?" Viktor asked from the doorway.

" _That you are the most wonderful thing I've seen in a long time,"_ Hermione said in Bulgarian.

" _Impossible,"_ Viktor said. " _For you are the most wonderful thing on the face of this earth."_

" _Would you two stop flirting,"_ Helena said. For a parent, it was hard to watch. Even if she approved.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at her mother. She might be seventeen, but she still felt as if she could be childish at times. And it wasn't a bad thing.

"You always said the kitchen was the best place for this sort of thing," Hermione said, switching back to English easily.

"She said the kitchen was the best place for this." John kissed his wife.

"Parents," Hermione grumbled under her breath.

" _Hopefully one day we'll get to be just as embarrassing as them,"_ Viktor said.

" _Maybe,"_ Hermione said. " _I think just about everyone is embarrassed by their parents."_

" _Very much so,"_ Mrs. Krum said.

" _Mother,"_ Viktor almost whined.

Hermione giggled. She was fond of it when Viktor was getting embarrassed by his parents instead of her. Much more of an enjoyable experience.

" _Fine,"_ Viktor said. He lifted Hermione over his shoulder and strode out of the room.

"Put me down," she said.

"Vill be better vhen no parents are around to make snide remarks," Viktor said. He didn't put Hermione on the ground.

She had to agree with that sentiment. It was typically more enjoyable when they were alone. One of the reasons that Viktor had started looking for a small apartment they could rent for the beginning of their marriage. That way they could have some space that they didn't have to share.

"As true as that may be, can you please put me down?" Hermione asked again.

Viktor let her down from his shoulder, slowly. It was as if she didn't weigh anything. Hermione suddenly felt very tiny.

She wasn't that small. She was of average height and build for her age. And while she was done growing, since both of her parents had stopped at a relatively early age, she wasn't short by any means. She also wasn't the slimmest girl her age.

She wasn't stocky the way that Cho or Ginny were. Both were quidditch players and strangely muscled. She wasn't thin and willowy the way that Luna was. She was sort of in the middle. Sort of like Lavender.

But in that moment, Hermione felt as if she were a delicate piece of china. Almost like a teacup. She knew that she wasn't going to break, but she felt as if she was worth being protected. And valued.

" _I love you,_ " she said softly in Bulgarian.

"And I you," he said in English.

While they could, and often did, switch freely between the two languages freely and quickly, they didn't usually mix the two while in the middle of a conversation unless there were other people involved. Sometimes to hide the conversation. Sometimes to include those involved.

But it was each special to them to hear their own native tongues spoken. And it was a distinct effort they made to share the languages of each other. It was a small thing, since they had been speaking and writing in each for a few years. But it meant quite a bit.

* * *

Harry was sulking around Hogwarts, watching Malfoy on the map. It was almost religious the way he carried it around and checked it periodically. To anyone watching, it was concerning.

Ron was doing his best to keep Harry in check. He'd written Sirius for any semblance of advice the older man might have. Which hadn't been much. Mostly just that Lucius Malfoy had gotten himself arrested and Draco may actually be up to something.

Without any clue of what he should do, Ron wrote a letter to Hermione and then asked Luna for advice.

"Any clue on how to help Harry?" he asked.

"It depends on what you mean by help," Luna replied. She didn't look up from the radish she was carving.

"Help him not go mad," Ron said. He was trying to find the right words to say. He wasn't sure he was doing a good job, even if he suspected that Luna knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Madness is as madness does," Luna hummed. "Look a little deeper. Maybe you'll find what he's looking for."

"Thanks," Ron said. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"You might find that with the right attention, he'll blossom into something beautiful."

Ron shook his head as he left. He had no idea what, or who, Luna was talking about. He wasn't sure that he wanted to know. It might mean something he wasn't ready for.

Instead he headed back to the common room. Christmas wasn't for two days yet. He still had time to write to Hermione, and send her the present he'd gotten her. He'd forgotten to do that.

"What were you doing with Luna?" Harry asked when Ron came back into Gryffindor tower.

"Talking about you," Ron said. "I was wondering if you'd told her anything about Malfoy."

It wasn't quite the entire truth. But it was enough to quiet Harry. And it wasn't a lie. Ron was curious to know what Luna might have gleaned from Harry. She could see things that people wanted to keep hidden.

"Fine. But don't go getting any ideas."

Ron hadn't even thought about it. He found Luna a little odd. And she was sort of friends with Ginny. Ron had no inclinations of dating, or even thinking about dating, anyone who was friends with his sister. It would be too weird.

"Wasn't going to," he mumbled.

Ron climbed the stairs to his dorm and dug the present he had gotten Hermione out of his trunk. It wasn't big. But he figured she would like it.

Placing the little bracelet he'd made, engraved with his favourite quote on the inside, down on the table, he started the letter. He explained Luna's answer. And he told her about what Sirius had said. He knew she'd written him. But Ron had decided that he was just going to include all the information he had.

 **Mione,**

 **Yes, I know you don't like to be called that. It's still infinitely shorter than writing your full name. And I'm doing this quickly.**

 **Harry's gotten a bit obsessed. You already knew that. But without classes he's sort of gone crazy. I'm sort of glad you aren't here to see it. You couldn't do anything about it, and we both know that. I'm not fairing any better.**

 **The only one who seems to be able to get through to Harry at all is Luna. Not sure what's going on there. I'm just glad that something's able to distract him. Even if he's gotten a little weird.**

 **Hope you're having a good holiday. Enjoy Bulgaria. Any advice you may have would be appreciated.**

He wrote on. Everything went into that letter. Without a second thought he sealed it and sent it off, with just a nod to Harry as he headed off to the owlery.

* * *

Hermione smiled as she read Ron's letter. She was worried about Harry. She couldn't deny that. But she was glad that someone was looking out for him. After Slughorn's party, she'd expected something. But she wasn't sure what.

"Something wrong?" her mother asked.

Hermione shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Just the usual."

In a strange way, it was sort of usual. There was always something going on. And Harry always seemed to be right in the middle of it. This year was no different. Even if Hermione and Ron weren't convinced that Malfoy was a death eater the way that Harry was.

Still, she could tell everything was going to be okay. No idea where that feeling came from. But she was certain.

* * *

A/N: Not sure how this chapter turned out. Feels a little bit like filler. Hopefully the next one will be exciting. Still, we did get some secondary character development. I'm really starting to enjoy writing Luna. She's super interesting.


	75. Chapter 75

Hermione sighed as she walked back into Hogwarts. It was always nice to be back, even if she didn't particularly want to leave where she had been. She would miss Viktor every time she had to be separated from him.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled from halfway across the courtyard.

"What is it?" she asked after she had made her way over to them. She'd walked quickly and was a little bit out of breath.

"Just glad to see you."

Hermione snorted. "This wouldn't happen to be about Harry?"

Ron shrugged. "Not that much."

Hermione gave him a pointed look. She could usually tell when Ron wasn't telling her the whole situation. This looked to be one of those times. And it would be better for everyone if he told her upfront.

Ron flushed. "He's a wreck. Hardly eating. Barely sleeping. Been sneaking sleeping draughts into his tea."

"I hope you checked with someone about that."

"Oh, I did," Ron said. "Checked with Madame Pomfrey to make sure that there weren't going to be adverse effects. She said try to keep it down to less than two doses per week, but other than that things should be fine."

Hermione nodded. Two doses of sleeping potion probably wouldn't affect Harry too much down the line. And he could likely use the sleep. Especially if Ron thought so.

Hermione loved her friends. But Ron had never been the most observant individual. If he thought Harry needed sleep one night, Harry had probably been needing it for a week prior to that. But they'd all been watching Harry since before the holidays.

"Hermione!" Harry said. He looked worse than Hermione had hoped. Better than she'd feared, however. Which was nice.

"Harry," she breathed. "It's good to see you."

"Not as good as it is to see you. Malfoy's been up to something all holiday."

"Sleeping," Ron said. "He looks better rested than you do."

He did from where Hermione stood. Still exhausted, but he wasn't quite as thin and disheveled as Harry was.

"Of course he does," Harry cursed. "He doesn't have the weight of everyone on him."

"Not of your people," Ron said.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Hermione had already come up with an idea of what Ron meant. She was fairly sure that he was talking about the fact that there were two sides in any conflict. And those who they were fighting against weren't likely to see that they were putting any weight on Harry.

"Just that you and Malfoy don't exactly see eye to eye on most things," Ron said. "I doubt that he feels the weight of Hermione on him. But his mother could be putting pressure on him."

"And even if things are perfectly fine, his father's still in Azkaban. That's got to put some stress on him," Hermione added.

"Fair enough," Harry muttered.

He didn't think it was fair. Not even in the slightest. But he couldn't say as much. Not with Hermione there. Both she and Ron had heard Harry talk about it for hours on end. And they hadn't change their minds one bit.

"Hey guys," Neville said.

"Hi Neville," Hermione said.

"Wow, Harry. You look something awful."

"You do," Padma said from beside her boyfriend.

"I know," Harry said. "And I know that Malfoy looks tired, but not as tired. Why don't you guys try telling me something I don't already know?"

"It's colder in some parts of the United States than it is in certain parts of Canada this time of year," Padma said.

"What?" everyone said.

"Harry asked us to tell him something he didn't know," Padma explained.

Harry heaved a dramatic sigh. He had instigated that. But that didn't mean that he wanted smart aleck comments. Sometimes he didn't like being friends with Ravenclaws.

Luna ran over and pecked Harry on the cheek. "You look exhausted. Have you been sleeping?"

"Not exactly," Harry confessed.

"Got to bed. Malfoy will still be around for you to stalk when you get up," Luna said.

He scurried off, quick to do as she asked.

"How'd you manage that?" Hermione asked.

Luna smiled serenely. "You just have to let him know that you're listening. If you don't discount what he thinks, he's far more likely to listen to you."

Hermione filed the advice away for later consideration. At that point she was just happy that Harry was willing to sleep on someone's advice. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

She was just to ask Luna if she could speak with her later when she noticed that the blonde was gone. Hermione sighed. Luna always seemed to vanish before Hermione could get to the questions she really wanted to ask.

* * *

A/N: Hi guys. I'm still working on this story, I promise. I had left all of them for a while. But I'm taking a small break from work for stress, medical reasons, and my sister's wedding. So hopefully that means that I can write a little bit more. And I did have to go through roughly seventy some chapters to figure out what direction I was heading in. I did figure it out. But we're far from over. Hope you guys enjoyed this little snippet.


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